The possibilities for retired aircrafts appear to be infinite. From flying for another airline with a new look to being recycled for spare parts or being sent to a scrapyard, aircrafts have been put to interesting use. One of the most stunning transformations is a private jet-turned-luxury villa that is set to debut in April of 2023.
Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens, which sits 150 meters above sea level near there Nyang-Nyang beach in the Indonesian Isle of Bali, will be available to rent this April, with nightly rates starting at around $7,000. The former Boeing 737 of the defunct Mandala Airlines was purchased by developer Felix Demin in 2021.
Denim, the owner of the Bubble Hotel Bali hotel chain, recalls that at first he contemplated acquiring a private plane for himself, but soon realized the opportunity for ingenuity.
“I recognized that I could potentially convert it into something spectacular,” he shares, adding that, when searching, he unearthed around 20 similar planes in Indonesia.
Finally, Denim settled on a Boeing 737 that was owned by an Indonesian investor, and he signed off on the purchase.
First order of business was moving the aircraft to a new location. Demin was determined to ensure the aircraft’s safe arrival at its new destination. “We had to take it apart after consulting with the Boeing team,” he explains. “We’ve loosened 50,000 bolts.” With the help of two cranes, a huge platform, a variety of specialists and a police escort, the transport of the aircraft from its location in Bali to a clifftop several miles away was completed in a total of five days. “It was the most sleepless five days of my life,” Demin says, noting that much of the operation took place in the evenings. Although it took over two months of planning, the success of the mission was worth the effort for Demin, who is proud of what he and his team accomplished.
The overall goal of the project is to create an experience that would generate the “wow effect”. One can access the villa through a stairwell attached to the wing which reveals the interior – a living area with a bar, sofa bed and a glass portal, two bedrooms with walk-in closets, a converted cockpit bathroom with portholes to let you catch a glimpse of the outside, plus sun loungers, an outdoor lounge area, and a firepit. Demin mentions that every detail has been taken into account to ensure a magical experience.
After years of painstaking work on the project, Demin is hugely looking forward to finally welcoming guests to the private jet villa, which is on schedule to open its doors in April.