Germany's K5-Aviation has firmed up a previously announced commitment for an Airbus ACJ319neo. The operator will be the first to fly the new type, and already manages three ACJ319s that are offered for VVIP charter through Vertis Aviation. Delivery of the green aircraft is planned for the second quarter of 2019, with the engines and cabin outfitter yet to be selected.

“Comfort, space and freedom of movement are especially important to customers at the top end of the market, which is what we deliver with the ACJ319, and the neo version will allow us to do this on even longer flights,” says K5 Aviation CEO Erik Scheidt.

“This is a logical decision for us as we are looking for even more range than we currently have on the existing aircraft. We need to be able to operate to the Far East in any conditions. At the moment we can go to Tokyo when the wind is with us, but if it is not, it is too tight, and so we needed something completely mission capable without having to rely on weather conditions.”

Scheidt also says that those clients who used to fly in its two Globals are now looking to upsize. “The other reason that people take these kinds of aircraft is the space,” he adds. “You have three times the space in the cabin and you have everything there: your office, your sleeping room, your stand up shower. Everything that makes such a trip very comfortable. You just need to make sure that this comfort is not eaten up by a fuel stop.”

Although the exact configuration has not yet been finalised, it will be designed to accommodate both luxury private and business travel, following the success of the existing ACJs.

Scheidt is pleasantly surprised at how busy K5 has been over the past few weeks: “With the Globals we did have a hard time for a while, but now it is coming back. January was extremely good, which is a first since I have been in the business. We flew a lot on the Global and on the Airbus. Normally January is a quiet month.

“We do concentrate on heavy and long range, and we do not want to have more types on the AOC, because this would be far too much for us to handle. We are a small company.”

Last year K5 secured US border overflight exemption for flights returning to the US from south of the border, and the arriving neo is set to enhance its capability across the Atlantic.