Europe’s completion specialists are gearing up for what they believe will be a growing market for VIP conversions of next-generation commercial airliners, including the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787.

Jet Aviation is building a new hangar at its Basle completion and maintenance facility capable of handling the A380 and Boeing 747. The Swiss company expects a market of around 10 A380 corporate conversions over the next 10-15 years. “It depends on the economic situation,” says chief executive Heinz Kohli, “because much of the potential business is from oil-producing Gulf countries. If the oil price remains high, we see a good future.”

Lufthansa Technik (LHT) chairman August Henningsen broadly agrees, predicting an A380 VIP market of “one a year maximum over 10 years”. The company is “ready to go” once a customer asks for an A380 conversion, he says, adding: “We sense there is interest in the market and we are working on it.”

Airbus expects to sell five to 10 VIP A380s “maximum”, says Richard Gaona, vice-president, corporate jets. The company also expects to sell two to four A330/A340s a year, and has secured its first A330 VIP customer. “We are very close to an A380 VIP sale,” he says, but delivery is not expected before 2012.