Le Bourget/Geneva based charter operator Masterjet has taken delivery of an ex-airline Airbus A320 converted to a 26-seat 'head of state' configuration.

The aircraft, which had originally been expected to enter service last summer, features a new innovation called Direct View. This custom-made feature, designed and engineered in-house by the completion centre Fokker Aircraft Services, allows for one flight attendant to monitor passengers seated in every cabin during taxi, take-off and landing, which is a regulatory requirement by EASA.

"In order to comply with this regulation, the operator would have had to situate a crew member in each cabin, which would have been both uneconomical and unpractical," says Eric Cuppen, director, aircraft completions and conversions at Fokker.

When the A320 airliner arrived at the FAS facility in Woensdrecht, Netherlands, for the conversion, the interior had to be completely stripped down and everything including wiring, isolation, partitions and seats were designed and fitted according to the customer's personal requirements, right down to the installation of 24-carat gold door knobs. In total, five cabins were installed including a private suite with bedroom, bathroom and office, a conference and dining area, separate executive lounge and special first class seating area.

Throughout the design process, Fokker used CATIA 3D graphics extensively, in order to allow the customer to "experience" the aircraft throughout all phases of the design process.

"Other completions centres use CATIA as well, but not to the same extent as Fokker," says Cuppen "We find that it's an excellent tool for allowing customers to fully understand what their aircraft cabin will ultimately look like."

Another personalised feature was an AVOD rack with a self-contained in-flight entertainment system; a separate power source and cooling system meant the equipment didn't need extra certification.

For acoustic comfort, Fokker soundproofing reduced cabin noise to 52-53 dB in the main private and lounge areas.

Additional centre tanks were also fitted, increasing the aircraft's range to nearly 4,000 nm. Although such a fit-out is common for commercial aircraft, only a handful of vip A320s have successfully undergone such a procedure, Fokker reports.