Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2012. It reflects that month: Al-Walid’s 29th place in the Forbes ranking, the plane being finished, the yacht due in 2014, and the skyscraper currently being built, the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, whose construction was later halted for years.
In 2007, Al-Walid (Prince Alwaleed bin Talal), a member of the Saudi royal family and number 29 in the Forbes ranking of the world’s richest people, commissioned from Airbus what would be the largest private jet in history. It would also be the most luxurious and therefore the most expensive, with no expense spared on any detail.
Airbus is already putting the finishing touches to what has been dubbed the “flying palace”. The plane has two decks and room for 850 people, although it hasn’t been built to carry that many: it will only be used by the sheikh, his bodyguards and his service staff. According to the Daily Mail, the plane cost 400 million euros, 45 million of which went on a bathroom made of gold.
These are the features that turn this plane into a flying palace:
- 73 metres long. Not bad, considering that a passenger plane doesn’t usually exceed 50 metres.
- Two decks, not counting the lower level, which serves as a hold and parking area.
- Two lifts (one personal, one for staff).
- A stable for horses and camels.
- A large garage for 2 Rolls-Royces (his own and a backup for security).
- 5 luxury suites, each with a private bathroom.
- A concert hall with a piano and armchairs.
- A prayer room with a computer-controlled rotating platform that keeps it facing Mecca at all times.
- 20 seat-beds for additional guests (equivalent to flying first class).
Best of all, the sheikh plans to use the plane only once a month. Along the same lines, Al-Walid has ordered a yacht, which is expected to be delivered in 2014. It would be 173 metres long and cost close to 400 million euros.
These are the little indulgences of a sheikh who invested 200 million euros in Twitter and is currently building the tallest skyscraper on the planet in Saudi Arabia.
Further reading
Featured image: Handelsgeselschaft, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
