Boeing’s New Configurator Lets You Design a Semi-Custom Private Jet

In terms both of size and exclusivity, the pinnacle of private aviation has long been contested between just two parties: Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) and Airbus Corporate Jets ( ACJ ). Each converts its large commercial aircraft into lavish, sometimes outlandish, business jets commissioned by captains of industry, world leaders, and royalty. Yet these dueling giants have seen shrinking market shares against competitors such as Gulfstream , Bombardier , and Dassault —and in the bizliner biz, less is never more.

“The biggest wide-bodies comprise only about 5 percent of the bizliner world,” says Richard Gaona, chairman of Comlux , a Zurich-based provider of aviation services certified for both BBJ and ACJ interior completions. Gaona notes that, in this rarefied segment, “most interiors tend to be subtle and elegant, designed for heads of state who want their aircraft to represent their countries,” which means total customization has always been a given. After recognizing that this elite customer base was an underserved market, Boeing launched its BBJ arm in 1996.



The first four years saw annual deliveries to their interior-completions partners range from 18 to 20 units, but from 2002 through 2015 the number dipped to about 10 examples per year. Since 2019, following Boeing’s second 737 Max incident, demand has steadily declined to the point where, in 2023, BBJ sold only four jets. Last year, the company pivoted by launching BBJ Select , for the first time offering sem.