The US National Basketball Association (NBA) is negotiating with SMBC Aviation Capital for the lease of thirteen A321-200Ns with customised VIP interiors, to be used to transport teams between games in future seasons.
First reported by Corporate Jet Investor, SMBC is expected to place the aircraft with the NBA, while Comlux Aviation (Zurich) was awarded a contract to complete the VIP interiors at its Indianapolis International facility.
The narrowbodies will have lie-flat beds, humidifiers, and personalised interiors to accommodate the average height of an NBA player, which was 6 feet 6.74 inches (2 metres) in the 2023/2024 season.
Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) is reportedly set to operate the charters. Earlier this year, Delta inked a multiyear agreement, becoming the official airline of the US Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Under the expanded multiyear deal, the US airline carries all 12 of the league’s teams throughout the regular season and playoffs.
SMBC declined to comment. Neither Comlux nor the NBA were immediately available for comment.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows SMBC manages a fleet of 715 aircraft, including eight A321-200Ns, seventy-six A321-200NX, and two A321-200NX(LR)s.
