Oprah Winfrey once said, “It’s great to have a private jet. Anyone who tells you that having your own private jet isn’t great is lying to you.”
First came luxury city penthouses, then superyachts, now it’s the turn of the private luxury jet as millionaires and billionaires commission designers to create a bespoke home in the skies. Interiors, featuring seat belts made from 24 carat gold as in Donald Trump’s Boeing 757 and hand-stitched leather seats from Bill Amberg are among the latest ‘must-haves’.
Last year, a Boeing 747-8 was acquired by an UHNWI for around £230 million, subsequent improvement work which totalled some £160 million undertaken by Greenpoint Technologies, took around three years, and brought the overall spend to around £400 million.
The aircraft, which has the capacity to carry up to 450 passengers, has been converted into a private jet for the unknown private owner to include everything you would normally find on board a luxury super yacht. The interior refit and redesign incorporates a restaurant, dining room, a bright and airy master bedroom and guest bedrooms, two large living areas and a private office which is designed like a conference room. There is generous entertaining space with large walkways inside and up on deck, together with a ‘chill-out’ zone.
Boeing’s Aeroloft provides private sleeping berths located above the main deck in the aft section of the plane, where the design features custom designed interior furnishings and a forward entry staircase.
Private clients, royalty and heads of state are in the business of commissioning high end designers to create luxurious yet practical interiors for their private jets and helicopters. They want to replicate the attention to detail and bespoke finishing of the interiors in their super prime residences around the world. Specialist Mayfair company VIP Completions is one such design company creating masterpieces in the skies an traditional established interior designers, such as Linley London have, over recent years, been commissioned to design interiors for the wealthy’s yachts and planes.