Associated Air Center has delivered the industry’s first Boeing 787-8 outfitted for a head of state. The VVIP aircraft departed from the company’s facility at Dallas Love Field in Texas following a celebration ceremony on February 2.
The project marked the firm’s eighth widebody completion job.
AAC’s head-of-state configuration features 2,404 sq. ft. of cabin space. It can comfortably accommodate 82 VIP passengers separated in three cabin zones, while the office, bedroom and lavatory suite comprises the additional fourth, presidential zone.
In addition to the latest data, entertainment and lighting equipment, the interior configuration features eight passenger lavatories, and both forward and aft cabin overhead flight crew rest areas.
AAC designed, engineered and manufactured the bulkheads, monuments, furnishings and headliner grid system for the interior configuration prior to the green aircraft’s arrival.
AAC’s in-house team designed the 787-8 aircraft interior, which when completed was 20% lighter than initially projected, “allowing the customer to carry additional fuel to fly longer, nonstop missions.” AAC was also able to achieve “unprecedented” (44 dB SIL) cabin sound readings for a quiet environment in the presidential bedroom.
“We overcame significant new engineering challenges during this project and maintained our goal of providing the safest and highest-quality completion services in the world,” said AAC president James Colleary.
AAC said further that it expects to soon redeliver a Boeing 747-8 widebody aircraft, and “anticipates winning additional wide- and narrowbody completion programs during 2016 with full capacity to accommodate additional customers for both aircraft completions and MRO services.”
AAC notes that in cooperation with Boeing, its was the first in the industry to complete a 757-200 head-of-state customer interior configuration – in 1989.