Sheikh to splash £250m on world's most luxurious jet

Published on Monday 11 February 2008 21:37

A SAUDI sheikh has asked a German firm to make his A380 Airbus the most luxurious private jet in the world – complete with gold-leaf paintwork.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, a cousin of the Saudi Arabian king and one of the richest Arab businessmen on earth, has a fortune of 15 billion and is one of a handful of individuals to own an A380, the world's largest commercial airliner.

He paid close to 160 million for the plane, which is built to accommodate up to 600 passengers. He is spending 90 million customising it to his own extravagant tastes.

Which company has been chosen by the prince to refurbish his jet has not been revealed. But German media reports that he has commissioned a concern in Hamburg, where Airbus Germany has its headquarters.

He has reportedly ordered the plane to be painted in gold leaf on the outside at a cost of 30 million alone.

Inside he is building a lounge to seat a travelling entourage of 25 trusted aides. He has ordered a dining room, seating 14 and panelled in marble, to be constructed next to a bar with curtains to mimic tents of the Arabian desert and a fibre-optic mosaic that will depict a shifting desert scene.

Where economy class usually begins, the prince has ordered a whirlpool bath and sauna to be constructed.

The whirlpool bath will have sensors fitted to tilt it to keep the water – and the prince – firmly in place if the plane hits turbulence while he's taking a dip.

On the upper deck he has ordered a movie theatre with plush leather seats the colour of sand dunes, a gym with running machines and Nautilus exercise equipment and a series of bedrooms with his, naturally, being the most opulent.

Reports speak of the decor as being "Lawrence of Arabia meets Star Wars", the centrepiece of the project being an enormous bed draped with silk to resemble a Bedouin tent.

All rooms have fitted bathrooms en-suite and are linked via an intercom to stewards based at the rear of the plane who will wait on guests throughout flights.

The plane will be ready in two years. Until is it finished the prince, who counts the Savoy Hotel in London among his many assets, will have to get around the world in his run-of-the-mill private 747 Jumbo.

"Prince Al-Waleed's order means that Airbus' sales success in the corporate jet market now extends from its smallest aircraft, the A318 Elite, all the way up to its largest, the A380 Flying Palace," said John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer for customers.