Airbus launched the A319CJ in 1997, just as the Boeing Business Jet was creating a new market for private versions of commercial airliners. Airbus took the A319 and changed the mission: extra fuel, a higher operating ceiling, and a cabin that could be finished for a small VIP group or a much larger delegation. Contemporary reporting put the early aircraft at up to 50 passengers and a maximum range of 6,300 nm with a lower payload.

The first A319CJ was delivered on December 31, 1998, to a private Middle East customer. Jet Aviation in Basel was selected to complete the interior.

There is a useful detail here for a buyer. The aircraft you see today may be called an A319CJ, ACJ319 or simply A319 in different records and listings. Business Air News notes that Airbus adopted the ACJ319 name in 2011, while the underlying aircraft remains part of the A319 family covered by EASA type certificate A.064.

The concept was simple. The execution was much bigger than a normal business jet.

The cabin is the first thing I would look at.

The A319 fuselage gives the ACJ319 a maximum cabin width of 3.70 m and a cabin height of 2.25 m. Airbus lists the A319 cabin at roughly 23.78 m long. That is a very different interior environment from a conventional long-range business jet.

A 19-seat VIP layout is common in the corporate market, but it is only one answer. Documented ACJ319 interiors have included lounges, dining areas, offices, bedrooms, showers and conference spaces. One Lufthansa Technik completion had 19 takeoff seats, with 12 capable of being converted into full-flat sleeping positions.

Then comes the fuel system.

The original corporate A319 could be fitted with up to six Additional Centre Tanks in the cargo compartment. The tanks are removable, which gives the aircraft a useful degree of mission flexibility. Airbus technical material and certification records distinguish the ACJ configuration from the standard A319 in part through the ACT installation and the higher flight envelope.

That is the real ACJ319 advantage. You get an airliner-sized cabin and long-range fuel capability in the same aircraft.

• Cabin space that is difficult to reproduce.

At 3.70 m wide and 2.25 m high, the cabin gives an owner room for genuine separate living areas. Historical completions have included bedrooms, offices, dining rooms and showers while retaining 19 passenger certification.

• The platform can serve a larger group.

That is where the ACJ319 separates itself from many conventional business jets. A 19-seat VVIP interior is possible, while other aircraft have been configured for much larger passenger groups. The German government example shows how the same basic airframe can be arranged for VIP and medical missions.

• There is a trade-off, and it is deliberate.

You are buying an airliner-derived aircraft. That gives you space, cargo capacity and a mature commercial support base. It also gives you a larger aircraft to operate than a G550, Falcon 8X or Global 6000. If the mission does not use the cabin, the size becomes a cost and airport-access consideration.

Boeing BBJ 737-7 for sale:
Range: Boeing currently publishes up to 6,600 nm for the BBJ 737-7 under its stated NBAA mission assumptions.
Passengers: 19 or more depending on interior.
The BBJ is the closest conceptual competitor because it was created from the same basic idea: take an airliner platform and build a private long-range aircraft around it. The newer BBJ 737-7 has a 3.53 m cabin width, so the ACJ319 has the wider cabin.
For a buyer comparing classic aircraft, condition, interior and completion quality will matter more than the brand on the tail.

Embraer Lineage 1000E for sale:
Range: 4,600 nm with eight passengers.
Passengers: up to 19.
The Lineage 1000E is much closer to a large business jet in scale. Its cabin is still impressive, with five zones, but its published range is well below the ACJ319's long-range configuration.
That makes the Lineage a strong alternative for a buyer who wants a large cabin but does not regularly need six-thousand-nautical-mile capability.

Bombardier Global 6000 for sale:
Range: 6,000 nm under Bombardier's published NBAA IFR assumptions.
Passengers: up to 17.
The Global 6000 has a 2.41 m wide and 1.88 m high cabin, compared with 3.70 m and 2.25 m for the ACJ319. Its advantage is a much smaller purpose-built business-jet package with strong long-range performance. The ACJ319 wins the cabin-volume comparison by a wide margin.

Dassault Falcon 8X for sale:
Range: 6,450 nm with eight passengers, three crew and NBAA IFR reserves.
Cabin: 2.34 m wide and 1.88 m high.
The Falcon 8X is the more flexible airport aircraft. Dassault publishes a 5,880-ft takeoff distance and a 51,000-ft maximum certified altitude. It can also operate from airports such as London City that are difficult for larger aircraft.
The ACJ319 gives up that compact-airport advantage in return for its much larger cabin.

The ACJ319 is for the buyer who wants private-aircraft service with something close to airliner cabin scale.

Its strongest argument is simple: 3.70 m of cabin width, 2.25 m of height, long-range fuel capability and the freedom to build a cabin around the mission. That is difficult to reproduce in a conventional business jet.

The compromise is equally clear. It is a large aircraft, and individual examples can differ greatly in engines, ACT configuration, avionics, interior weight and maintenance status.

If the mission involves 15 to 20 passengers and genuine intercontinental range, an ACJ319 deserves serious consideration. The next step is to evaluate a specific aircraft with its records, equipment list and actual cabin configuration.

Looking for an Airbus ACJ319 for Sale?
Give us the mission first:

• How many passengers?
• Which routes?
• How much range do you need?
• What year or configuration do you prefer?
• What are your requirements for engines, maintenance and avionics?
• Where will the aircraft be registered and operated?

We will search the open market and our off-market network and come back with aircraft that fit the requirement.