First Design-Q Interior Fitting Completed

To our knowledge, the terms "Avro RJ" and "luxurious" have never been used in the same sentence... but that's about to change. BAE Systems Regional Aircraft announced Thursday a significant milestone has been achieved in the Avro Business Jet (ABJ) program, with the completion of the first aircraft fitted with a luxurious Design Q interior. The conversion was carried out by Inflite Engineering at London-Stansted Airport.

The aircraft -- an Avro RJ70 -- was by Bulgaria's national carrier Bulgaria Air and will be operated on behalf of the airline's parent company, the Varna-based diversified industrial group TIM. Bulgaria Air already operates eight BAe 146-200/300s on domestic and regional scheduled air services, alongside Boeing 737 Classic and Airbus A320 family aircraft.

In May BAE Systems announced that it had teamed with premium UK design consultancy Design Q to offer innovative interior designs for the ABJ. BAE Systems has also teamed with UK-based Inflite Engineering to carry out the customized VIP conversions on the ABJ.

"When we announced our teaming arrangement with Design Q we knew that this premium design consultancy would bring a totally fresh approach to interior designs for the Avro Business Jet," said Stewart Cordner, Deputy Vice President Sales & Marketing for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft. "The result is stunning and shows convincingly that the combination of a pre-owned airliner together with an innovative interior results in a strong, cost-effective contender for the larger business jet market and at a fraction of the cost and timescale of new production line aircraft."

The interior of the ABJ for Bulgaria Air was created by Design Q in close partnership with the customer... and was designed to look similar to accoutrements found in the home, in the car and in other private transport modes.

Gary Doy, joint founder of Design Q explained that in recent years there has been a shift in values and aspirations of the VIP aircraft owner. "In part this is due to younger and more design-aware customers entering the marketplace who are looking for both a more contemporary and high-quality interior solution, with a trend towards more open plan layouts and modern surface finishes," he said.

Several innovative features have been incorporated into the design including what is believed to be the world's first engineering installation of a Bang & Olufsen state-of-the-art entertainment system into an aircraft.

FMI: www.baesystems.com, www.designq.co.uk/, www.inflite.co.uk/