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http://tinyurl.com/3daz76 New York Times
November 13, 2007
The Prince and His Palace: A 6,400-Square-Foot Getaway That Flies
By NICOLA CLARK
PARIS, Nov. 12 — He may be only the world’s 13th-richest man, but Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia will soon be able to claim the bragging rights to the world’s largest private jet.
Putting an end to months of speculation, Airbus announced Monday that the Saudi billionaire had become the first V.I.P. customer for the A380 superjumbo jet, the winged colossus that the European plane maker prices at just over $300 million.
Prince Walid, who currently makes do with a customized Boeing 747-400, signed the contract for a new flying palace at a ceremony with senior Airbus executives at the Dubai air show.
He expects to take delivery in 2010.
With its 240-foot double-deck fuselage and 262-foot wingspan, the 560-ton A380 dwarfs the rides of the world’s most powerful leaders. In comparison, Air Force One, the presidential jet, is a relatively modest conveyance, a Boeing 747-200 weighing just 333 tons.
“This is a very overt sign of the tremendous wealth that’s being created in the Middle East these days,” said Doug McVitie, managing director of Arran Aerospace, a consultancy in Dinan, France. With oil prices edging toward $100 a barrel, he said, building private jumbo jets for Arab customers “is definitely a growing market.”
Saudi Arabia may be the biggest oil-producing nation, but oil is not the main source of Prince Walid’s fortune, which Forbes magazine estimates to be $20.3 billion. The prince, 52, controls Kingdom Holding, an enterprise with stakes in scores of blue-chip companies, like Citigroup, the News Corporation and the Walt Disney Company. The company, based in Riyadh, also owns stakes in some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, including the George V in Paris and the Savoy in London.
Prince Walid has declined to discuss his plans for outfitting his superjumbo. But Lufthansa Technik, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Airlines in Hamburg that designs and builds aircraft interiors, has already drawn up sample floor plans.
The company’s computer models include a bedroom, office, bathroom and “wellness area” in the back of the plane’s upper deck, along with two guest rooms equipped with showers. A private lounge with numerous divans as well as a modern galley and buffet are laid out in the front section.
The main deck is reserved for meeting rooms, a dining room and a spacious royal lounge. The rear section would feature first- and business-class style seats for courtiers, advisers and other staff.
Industry analysts estimate that manufacturers produce as many as 1,000 private airliners a year, with sales during the next decade predicted to reach as much as $200 billion.
But most of the planes are relatively small craft made by the likes of Cessna, Gulfstream and Dassault, which sell for around $2 million to $5 million. Both Airbus and Boeing offer V.I.P. versions of the A320 and the 737, which sell for around $70 million.
With its 6,460 square feet of floor space, customizing an A380 for private use represents a significant investment in itself. The $300 million Airbus price tag does not include the cost of the plane’s interiors, which can run into hundreds of millions of dollars, limited only by a buyer’s own extravagance.
“The very size of the A380 allows the V.I.P. to customize the airplane and to spend far more on the interior than on the aircraft itself,” Mr. McVitie said. “It’s a huge canvas to work with.”
Prince Walid reportedly travels with an average entourage of around 50 people — far fewer than the nearly 900 seats that can be squeezed into an A380 with an all-economy class configuration.
November 13, 2007
The Prince and His Palace: A 6,400-Square-Foot Getaway That Flies
By NICOLA CLARK
PARIS, Nov. 12 — He may be only the world’s 13th-richest man, but Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia will soon be able to claim the bragging rights to the world’s largest private jet.
Putting an end to months of speculation, Airbus announced Monday that the Saudi billionaire had become the first V.I.P. customer for the A380 superjumbo jet, the winged colossus that the European plane maker prices at just over $300 million.
Prince Walid, who currently makes do with a customized Boeing 747-400, signed the contract for a new flying palace at a ceremony with senior Airbus executives at the Dubai air show.
He expects to take delivery in 2010.
With its 240-foot double-deck fuselage and 262-foot wingspan, the 560-ton A380 dwarfs the rides of the world’s most powerful leaders. In comparison, Air Force One, the presidential jet, is a relatively modest conveyance, a Boeing 747-200 weighing just 333 tons.
“This is a very overt sign of the tremendous wealth that’s being created in the Middle East these days,” said Doug McVitie, managing director of Arran Aerospace, a consultancy in Dinan, France. With oil prices edging toward $100 a barrel, he said, building private jumbo jets for Arab customers “is definitely a growing market.”
Saudi Arabia may be the biggest oil-producing nation, but oil is not the main source of Prince Walid’s fortune, which Forbes magazine estimates to be $20.3 billion. The prince, 52, controls Kingdom Holding, an enterprise with stakes in scores of blue-chip companies, like Citigroup, the News Corporation and the Walt Disney Company. The company, based in Riyadh, also owns stakes in some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, including the George V in Paris and the Savoy in London.
Prince Walid has declined to discuss his plans for outfitting his superjumbo. But Lufthansa Technik, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Airlines in Hamburg that designs and builds aircraft interiors, has already drawn up sample floor plans.
The company’s computer models include a bedroom, office, bathroom and “wellness area” in the back of the plane’s upper deck, along with two guest rooms equipped with showers. A private lounge with numerous divans as well as a modern galley and buffet are laid out in the front section.
The main deck is reserved for meeting rooms, a dining room and a spacious royal lounge. The rear section would feature first- and business-class style seats for courtiers, advisers and other staff.
Industry analysts estimate that manufacturers produce as many as 1,000 private airliners a year, with sales during the next decade predicted to reach as much as $200 billion.
But most of the planes are relatively small craft made by the likes of Cessna, Gulfstream and Dassault, which sell for around $2 million to $5 million. Both Airbus and Boeing offer V.I.P. versions of the A320 and the 737, which sell for around $70 million.
With its 6,460 square feet of floor space, customizing an A380 for private use represents a significant investment in itself. The $300 million Airbus price tag does not include the cost of the plane’s interiors, which can run into hundreds of millions of dollars, limited only by a buyer’s own extravagance.
“The very size of the A380 allows the V.I.P. to customize the airplane and to spend far more on the interior than on the aircraft itself,” Mr. McVitie said. “It’s a huge canvas to work with.”
Prince Walid reportedly travels with an average entourage of around 50 people — far fewer than the nearly 900 seats that can be squeezed into an A380 with an all-economy class configuration.
