A380 Corporate Version can be yours for only $450 MILLION

[Sulako]

http://articles.news.aol.com/business/_ ... 0609990002

It has a whirlpool tub, missile defense system, 2 dining rooms, a lounge, fober optic mosaics, a 600 sq ft master bedroom, games room, etc

No word on the cost of buying a PPC on it.

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The superrich are launching the next wave in air travel: the wide-body private jet.

With some 10,000 private jets flying in the U.S., a few billionaires are signing up for something roomier -- jumbo jets that can be outfitted as mobile mansions. Boeing says it has taken orders for 11 wide-bodies -- planes typically configured with two aisles, such as the 747 series or the new 787 Dreamliner -- over the past two years for "VIP use." The price of a Dreamliner, interior not included, is about $150 million.


Now an individual customer is raising the bar, signing up for the largest passenger plane in history. European jet builder Airbus has signed a letter of intent with a Middle East buyer for one of its new A380s, which sell for about $300 million, according to John Leahy, Airbus's chief commercial officer for customers. Commercial versions of this plane can be configured to seat as many as 853 passengers on two decks. But this buyer, whom Airbus declined to identify, will spend an additional $100 million to turn the craft into a more exclusive conveyance Airbus calls The Flying Palace.

New York-based jet-interior expert Edése Doret says he is designing the A380 for the customer, who he says is a head of state. While the jet hasn't yet been built -- Airbus is as much as two years behind schedule for the A380 -- Mr. Doret says his plan includes two dining areas, a 600-plus-square-foot master bedroom and a game room. His plans also call for a lounge with giant curtains that will mimic tents of the Arabian desert, and a fiber-optic mosaic that will depict a shifting desert scene.

Mr. Doret says he is including a whirlpool tub, believed to be the first in the air. To comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the tub will have a rapid drainage system that can empty the standing water in seconds to a tank in the cargo hold. The plane is also slated to include a missile-defense system, he says. (Such systems aren't certified for civilian use.) In all, Mr. Doret expects the job will run $100 million to $150 million.

The tabs for the wide-body jets easily surpass the prices paid by a previous generation of jumbo-jetsetters, including Donald Trump. In 2005, for example, Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page bought a used 767-200 that had seated 180 during its years in commercial service. Industry sources estimate Messrs. Brin and Page paid less than $15 million, 1/20th the cost of the big new Airbus. The latest private jets dwarf the most expensive Gulfstreams and Learjets, as well. The top-of-the-line Gulfstream, the G550, carries 10 to 15 passengers and costs about $47 million. These newest flying mansions can also equal or surpass the cost of the world's biggest yachts ($200 million and $300 million) and are well beyond the most expensive estates on the market ($100 million to $150 million).

Interest From Americans

Boeing says the majority of private buyers for new planes are from the Middle East, but that Americans, Europeans, Russians and Asians are also starting to place orders. The company says seven of its orders from private customers are for Dreamliners, and the other four are for 747-8s, the planned update to its storied jumbo jet. (Private buyers were the first in line to order versions of the 747-8, it says.) Those who order now -- in other words, who have signed purchase contracts and deposited about 10% of the purchase prices -- will typically get their planes in a few years. Customers for the A380 may have to wait longer still.

The companies that outfit these jumbo jets are preparing for more business. Customizer Lufthansa Technik, a subsidiary of the German carrier, has been in talks with "a couple of potential A380 customers" and their interior designers, says spokesman Aage Duenhaupt. The company, with a work force of 1,100 engineers and outfitters, expanded one of its wide-body hangars in Hamburg last year to prepare.

Swiss-based customizer Jet Aviation Management AG is spending $50 million to build a hangar big enough for A380s and Boeing 747-8s. The company recently finished an Airbus 320-200 (which normally seats about 150) for Saad Group, a Saudi conglomerate involved in banking, construction and property development that is run by Maan A. Al-Sanea, a former pilot. Jet Aviation says the plane was outfitted with two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a conference and dining area and programmable fiber-optic lighting in the carpet.

The Swiss company is working on a second plane for Saad Group, a larger Airbus 340-600, according to Jet Aviation's chief marketing officer Leon Hustinx. That plane, expected to be delivered in 2009, will include guest suites, bars, master bedrooms with bathrooms, and dining and private areas. Saad Group didn't respond to emailed requests for comment.

Airbus says the jumbo-jet buyers want self-contained worlds where they can eat, sleep and hold meetings even when they've landed. "You can host an elegant dinner party on the ground in a third-world country," says Mr. Leahy. "After you bid your guests a fond farewell, you close the door and head home."

Landing in Aspen


The new airships are, of course, expensive to operate. Maintenance and fuel costs are astronomical compared with those of smaller jets. A 747-400 costs about $10,500 an hour to fly. An A320, by comparison, costs around $3,000 an hour, according to consultants BACK Aviation Solutions, while a Gulfstream G550 costs about $2,300 per hour. Makers of smaller jets say widebodies have other drawbacks, including noisier cabins than those in smaller models.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the biggest private jets: They're too big to land at many of the world's high-end jet ports, including Nice, France; Aspen, Colo.; and New Jersey's Teterboro. Many facilities have runways too short for the huge planes, or lack the ground equipment to handle them. Teterboro blocks any planes heavier than 100,000 pounds, about one-third the weight of the A380. And Aspen is limited to planes with wingspans of 95 feet, a fraction of the A380's 350-foot spread.

That means owners of big jets have to pick their spots. Asked whether an A380 could try to fly into Aspen, Airbus's Mr. Leahy responded: "Only once."

Feb. 16, 2007

Copyright © 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Hedley]

Well, I for one am glad to hear how environmentally-friendly it is.

Will Jack Layton be ordering one?

[complexintentions]

heheh good one Hedley...

Is it me or is this world just a little bit f*cked? I mean I'm not a full-on socialist freak - I flew corporate myself back in the day fer gawd's sake - but come on...when one person or entity has the money to burn to buy an A380 for their personal use...it's a bit stomach-turning. Somethin' ain't right...

[bob sacamano]

Some are probably in hamburg now being worked on for some arab sheikh. If hariri was stil around he'd be getting one for his saudi oger company. He was the first or 2nd to have a private 777. It's got a mini-hospital, movie theatre, just to give you an idea.

[disengage]

Youre definately right on that one complex... I think its absolute bullshit why these milionaire//billionaires spend the amount of money they do when in my mind its not needed. Isnt a G V, or Challenger 604 or even a 737- BJ good enough, if they got all the money to do so why arent they donating to foundations and all the starving people in this world. Something is definately wrong here.

[Lommer]

Only one person could be that customer: HRH Al-Waleed bin Talal, a Saudi prince. This guy currently owns the only private B747 and A340 in existence, and my guess is that he's replacing the 340 with the 380. He visited YVR in his 747 over christmas and that plane actually makes you sick - the interior is worth more than the airframe and comes complete with silk carpets, 24K gold plated surfaces everywhere, 70-in plasma screens throughout, and a mink comforter on the bed. The A340 is similarly outfitted, and is his backup aircraft in case the Boeing is grounded for maitenance or by an AD. I'm guessing that once the A380 is ready that will become his primary aircraft.

[bob sacamano]

Lots in the middle east have 767's, bin talal being one of them. He's half Lebanese half Saudi. The jordanian royal family has a 340. Another saudi guy has a 340. These guys usually have them registered under their companies.

Hariri, Lebanese ex-pm, now dead but family still ownes a huge fleet. 777, 2 BBJ's, 1 G3, and not sure if his two 727's are still around, he may have traded them in.

[Sasquash]

...and in the mean time, the price of gas at the pumps is going up, up, up....

[200hr Wonder]

Man if I had that kind of coin I would got for something that can do Mach 2 in cruise... screw luxury lets get there fast, a fighter of some sort me thinks. Then again I would want to fly it too.

[. ._]

Man if I had that kind of coin I would got for something that can do Mach 2 in cruise... screw luxury lets get there fast, a fighter of some sort me thinks. Then again I would want to fly it too.

Me too. Mig-21s are a dime a dozen these days. And the fuel burn is probably about the same as a 380.

-istp

[xsbank]

The Sultan of Brunei gave his daughter a DC-10 for her 16th birthday...

[Rebel]

Only one person could be that customer: HRH Al-Waleed bin Talal, a Saudi prince. This guy currently owns the only private B747 and A340 in existence, and my guess is that he's replacing the 340 with the 380. He visited YVR in his 747 over christmas and that plane actually makes you sick - the interior is worth more than the airframe and comes complete with silk carpets, 24K gold plated surfaces everywhere, 70-in plasma screens throughout, and a mink comforter on the bed. The A340 is similarly outfitted, and is his backup aircraft in case the Boeing is grounded for maitenance or by an AD. I'm guessing that once the A380 is ready that will become his primary aircraft.

Actually I believe you’re referring to Kingdom Holdings whom your Saudi Prince is top dog and either 4th or 5th richest person in the world. I was surprised to learn how cheap they consider their personal lives to be worth or perhaps they don't know. Operating a safe operation would be a high priority for me however that costs money, whatever..

[JW]

...and in the mean time, the price of gas at the pumps is going up, up, up....

If you can fork out that kind of cake then I'm sure the last thing on your mind is the price of fuel. That would be like someone buying a 150K car and worrying about the cost of insurance.

[Golden Flyer]

I expect the 380 to be a doomed project

[l_reason]

...and in the mean time, the price of gas at the pumps is going up, up, up....

I think he is talking about how WE are paying for all these jets. It makes me want an electric car.

[aileron]

Only one person could be that customer: HRH Al-Waleed bin Talal, a Saudi prince. This guy currently owns the only private B747 and A340 in existence, and my guess is that he's replacing the 340 with the 380. ..

Actually Talal isn't the only: Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai has 3 B747's (400, 200 & SP: the 200 for his horses, to and from the largest stable in Kentuky) and the Sultan of Oman has 2 B747's (400 & SP nicknamed Quasimoto). I wouldn't discount either of these men for a 380 order either!

Oh and they both collectively own another 10 large aircraft from C130's to BBJ2s.

[flyboy441]

I was working in Morocco when a 747 landed. Only 4 people got off the plane. The guys on the ground said it comes in once or twice a month. They have a summer home there and thats how they get there.

[bmc]

Youre definately right on that one complex... I think its absolute bullshit why these milionaire//billionaires spend the amount of money they do when in my mind its not needed. Isnt a G V, or Challenger 604 or even a 737- BJ good enough, if they got all the money to do so why arent they donating to foundations and all the starving people in this world. Something is definately wrong here.

How do you know they're not donating? You know these folks?

[bmc]

Only one person could be that customer: HRH Al-Waleed bin Talal, a Saudi prince. This guy currently owns the only private B747 and A340 in existence,

Sultan of Oman has two B747SP
King Al Khalifa of Bahain has a B747-400, B747SP and a B727-200.
Sheikh Al Thani of Qatar has an A340 and B747SP
Whoever too over fromSheikh Ziad in Abu Dhabi has a B747-400
Prince Bandar of Saudi has an A340

Private Air, here in Geneva, has the first private 787 on order.

[bob sacamano]

bmc has a jumbo as well (avatar)

[bob sacamano]

Lots in the middle east have 767's, bin talal being one of them.

If we're talking about the same guy, he's got a 747-400. His was the first private 747-400, if I'm not mistaken.

http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=360755

We're talking about the same guy. Saudi Prince, grandson of a Lebanese prime minister as well. Was running for that same position himself.

I found this picture of it, I guess now he's upgraded.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0878127/M/

this is a picture of it in Beirut with the snow covered sloped in the background.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0734798/L/

Here's one of his 340's.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0249234/M/

p.s. these are not under his name, they are under kingdom holding, as is clearly noticed on the tail. Same as hariri's jets, are registered under Saudi Oger, not under hariri personally (first private 777).

[Jimmy Mack]

Youre definately right on that one complex... I think its absolute bullshit why these milionaire//billionaires spend the amount of money they do when in my mind its not needed. Isnt a G V, or Challenger 604 or even a 737- BJ good enough, if they got all the money to do so why arent they donating to foundations and all the starving people in this world. Something is definately wrong here.

How do you know they're not donating? You know these folks?

Prince Al-Waleed is heavily involved in charitable activities across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, and is estimated to donate more than $100 million annually to charity. Much of this expenditure is in the field of educational initiatives to bridge gaps between Western and Islamic communities by funding centers of American studies and research in universities in the Middle East and centers of Islamic studies in American universities.

In 2001, he offered New York City a donation of $10 million towards relief efforts after the September 11, 2001 attacks. This was rejected by Mayor Rudy Giuliani because he construed the prince's subsequent issuance of a statement that the United States "must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack" as a justification of the terrorist incidents.

In 2002, Prince Al-Waleed donated $500,000 to the George Herbert Walker Bush Scholarship Fund, established by the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, to honor former President George H. W. Bush.

In December 2002, Al-Waleed donated $27 million to a Saudi Government telethon raising money for Palestinians.

In July 2005, he donated $20 million to the Louvre Museum, the largest gift ever to the world's largest museum. It will help to fund the construction of a wing for the Louvre's vast collection of Islamic art. The wing will consist of a freeform, glassy structure that will bring a modern touch to a neoclassical courtyard. The design for the new wing would involve covering much of the Louvre's Cour Visconti, a neo-Classical courtyard, with a contemporary sail-like roof made up of small glass disks. Officials put the total cost of the wing, by the architects Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti, at $67 million and predicted it would open in 2009.

In October 2005, he donated 30 million riyals in the form of goods and cash to support relief and reconstruction efforts in wake of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

In December 2005, Prince Al-Waleed donated $20 million each to Harvard University and Georgetown University to finance Islamic studies. The gift to Georgetown was the university's second-largest donation in history, and the gift to Harvard was among its 25 largest.

In 2006, the Prince donated $10 million the Weill Medical College of Cornell University establishing the HRH Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud Institute for Computational Biomedicine (ICB). This institute studies complex genomic and cellular systems as they relate to medicine and biology by using mathematical models, physics and high-speed computing.

Prince Al-Waleed owns over 5% of Rupert Murdoch's FOX NEWS CORP.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alwaleed_Bin_Talal_Alsaud

While only two of those seem to help the poor and disadvanteged (and even indirectly) they are considered charitable donations.

JM

[Cat Driver]

Money truly has little meaning in Saudi Arabia, we lived in Jeddah for weeks at a time when we had to do an engine change on a ferry flight.

The few times we did local flight tests we were charged $450.00 USD just for the marshaller to wave his bats as we parked on the far end of the ramp.

Lucky for us it was an American company who had the handling contract and we got the fee waived.

Two things really stood out for us, the extravigance of the Royal family and the Shieks in their aircraft and the beheadings twice a week just up the road from the Red Sea Palace hotel where we stayed....we could see chop chop square from our room windows.

Different culture for sure.

[Zagarino]

I have been born and lived in Dubai for 17 years, definetly a different culture , from jets to exotic cars, its an excess amount of money and once you've done nearly everything with it, you start figuring out ..what's next ?...oh i know...a custom made A380 !

Anyhow you cannot deny that these people do alot of good stuff like donations and help the needy in different parts of the world, there is proof on that too, but at the end, hey its my money ... let me live my life !

Cheers,

[bmc]

I worked at Bahrain airport for three years and enjoyed watching the royal family's B747SP doing circuits to keep the crews current.

When was the last time you saw an airline send its crews out in a B747 for some touch and goes?