Petters Group Worldwide of Minnetonka, Minnesota in the USA has placed a firm order for five Airbus A318 Elite corporate jets, adding to a previous order for one, taking its total order to six aircraft and making it the largest single customer for the type.

Petters Group is the first US customer for the A318 Elite, which offers the same wide cabin comfort and space as the rest of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) Family in a shorter version.

"We pride ourselves on recognizing a great product when we see it," says Petters Group CEO and Chairman Tom Petters, "and Airbus' A318 Elite stands out from the crowd with an outstandingly spacious cabin and truly modern design. This aircraft is in a class by itself and, with US transcontinental range, plus London-New York capability, the A318 Elite is well suited to the American market."

Petters Group Worldwide is a privately held company with investments in over 60 companies, including Polaroid, Ubid.com and Sun Country Airlines.

"Top-of-the-line customers are increasingly aware of the benefits delivered by Airbus ACJ Family aircraft such as the A318 Elite and, once they are, the advantages of trading up are overwhelming," says Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, John Leahy. "Our biggest challenge is keeping up with demand."

Airbus' ACJ Family, which features the A318 Elite, ACJ and A320 Prestige, has led sales at the upper end of the top-of-line corporate jet market for each of the past three years, and has a total of more than 80 sales to its credit.

Derived from the tremendously popular and successful Airbus A320 Family, which recently passed the 5,000 firm order milestone, the Airbus ACJ Family delivers unmatched spaciousness and modernity in the best corporate jets that money can buy.

Airbus' A320 and Airbus ACJ Families are unique in delivering a host of innovations to the top-of-the-line corporate jet market - including a common cockpit with fly-by-wire controls, extensive use of weight-saving carbonfibre, advanced fuel-saving aerodynamic design that includes wingtip fences, and fully comprehensive centralised maintenance.

Photograph 1: A new order for five A318 Elites from Petters Group makes this U.S.-based company the largest customer for the newest, and smallest member of the Airbus Corporate Jetliner aircraft Family.

Photograph 2: Petters Group Chairman & CEO Thomas J. Petters (left), Comlux CEO Ettore Rodaro (right) and Richard Gaona, Airbus VP of Executive & Private Aviation, during the A318 Elite's visit to Dulles Airport.