It was more than half a century ago when the Boeing 747 made its first flight and eventually changed air travel forever. For decades, it ruled the skies as the biggest commercial jet, flying millions of passengers all across the world. With four powerful jet engines and the capacity to accommodate up to 600 flyers, the 747 had no equals till the arrival of the Airbus A380. While the Queen of the Skies has now gone out of production and most airline companies have retired their fleet in favor of newer, more efficient jets, the charm of the jumbo jet has not faded. In fact, the aircraft is so majestic that only the richest of the rich have dared to convert the workhorse into flying superyachts, custom-built to offer the absolute best. While some miserably failed in this audacious attempt, the aviation industry was treated with a few flying marvels. Case in point, this jaw-dropping aircraft which is touted to be the world’s first V-VIP Boeing 747-8 takes private jet opulence to a whole new level.
The V-VIP conversion of the 747 was done by American company Greenpoint Technologies, a premier VIP completions center for Boeing Business Jets (BBJ). The Washington-based company is a premier Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) Completion Center, which is known for creating superior aircraft products and VIP completions exclusively for Boeing aircraft. It made history by becoming the world’s first completion center to redeliver a V-VIP 747-8 with a completely bespoke interior. The identity of the customer has been kept confidential. Even the exterior of the jet has not been revealed by the company to maintain absolute secrecy around the world’s first V-VIP 747-8.
However, Greenpoint released the floor plan of the massive private jet along with a set of photos of the interior. The interior features custom cabinetry, lapis lazuli stone accents, and hand-painted details. Considering it clearly features a Middle Eastern theme, we can only speculate that the 747 was converted to a V-VIP jet for a hyper-rich sheik from the Middle East, maybe even a crown prince.
Looking at the floor plan, the upper deck is separated into three sections. Right behind the cockpit is a place meant for the aircraft crew to rest. Right behind is the spacious section with four first-class pods for guests, while it is followed by a VIP lounge that gets berthable diwans and a lavatory.
Coming to the main deck, the master stateroom is located at the nose of the aircraft with a beautifully designed en-suite bathroom. The stateroom includes a full sofa, a captain’s chair with a work desk, and a king-size bed. The color palette includes off-white, gold, and deep blue and is matched with wood veneer; the color scheme is continued across the jet. Interestingly, there’s a large photo of a falcon above the sofa; falconry is a spiritual sport that has been practiced in the Middle East for hundreds of years.
Behind the master bedroom is a Majlis, Arabic for a sitting room. The spacious section gets comfortable sofa seats upholstered in beige leather placed next to all four walls and small desks in the middle. The dining room doubles as a conference room with fourteen captain’s chairs surrounding a shiny long table in the center. Interestingly, the V-VIP jet also features a medical center in the middle of the main deck, located next to an art gallery. Sadly, we don’t have pictures or more details about them.
The rear section of the aircraft has a guest bedroom, an executive area with first-class seating, and a section with seating for regular staff with seats that you’ll find in economy class in commercial jets.
Every inch of the V-VIP Boeing 747-8 screams of opulence and excess, yet the interior is very tastefully done. It proudly highlights the rich Arabic culture without going overboard. Greenpoint has not revealed the pricing of the jet, but it should be around $450 million, according to our estimates.
[All images courtest Greenpoint]
