Saudi prince buys world's first 'Flying Palace' (Airbus A380 "Super-Jumbo")

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | November 12, 2007 | Aislinn Simpson

[Stoat]

Saudi prince buys world's first 'Flying Palace'

By Aislinn Simpson
 

Last Updated: 3:07pm GMT 12/11/2007

 

 

A Saudi billionaire has raised the stakes in the rich mens' toys game by investing in the world's first ever "Flying Palace".

Rumours have been swirling for some time about who would be the first to sign up for the "VVIP version" of the new double-decker Airbus A380.

	Prince Al-Waleed signs on the dotted line to purchase his Airbus 380 at the Dubai air show

Commercial airlines including Singapore Airlines have already taken possession of some of the planes and during last month's inaugural flight unveiled First Class cabins complete with double beds.

Large enough to hold a 15-seater boardroom as well as luxuries such as a jacuzzi and a games room, the shell of the world's largest passenger plane costs $319 million (£154 million) alone and the lavish decoration called for inside could cost up anything up to £75 million.

The first private individual to take the leap was announced at Monday's Dubai air show as Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the richest Arab in the world and head of the financial group Kingdom Holding Company.

As an investor in some of the world's best-known companies, the 52-year-old prince - dubbed the Saudi Arabian Warren Buffett - is famously energetic and often visits tens of countries in a matter of days using his current fleet of planes, including the only 747-400 owned by a private investor.

Upmarket designers will now be clamouring for the contract to kit out the inside of the plane. Among frontrunners is New York firm Edése Doret, which has already been linked to the deal.

Middle Eastern luxury jet owners often chose to create separate areas within airliners for men, women and staff, Airbus said.

According to Mr Doret, the plane he was asked to designing for a member of a Middle Eastern royal family features a lounge with curtains to mimic tents of the Arabian desert and a fibre-optic mosaic that will depict a shifting desert scene.

The plane will also reportedly have a missile defence system and will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.

Prince Al-Waleed, the nephew of the late King Fahd, is expected to take delivery of his new toy in around 2010 but may have to wait another three years for the inside to be fit for a king.

His upgrade is expected to be the first of up to 30 orders from government and private individuals who may want to upgrade their 747s - the world's largest plane until the introduction of the A380.

"Prince Alwaleed'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 Airbus chief operating officer, customers, John Leahy.

[Stoat]

The plane will also reportedly have a missile defence system

The Prince certainly needs to be kept safe from Wahabbi terrorists who were trained in Saudi-funded madrassas.....

[Stoat]

[Turbopilot]

IIRC there’s been an order for a single A380 for an unidentified customer on Airbus’ books for a while. It wouldn’t make sense for any airline to order just one and IIRC the single order had been linked with Roman Abramovich. What happened with that?

[RC2]

We pay for this stuff through oil prices. Their profits are over the top and at our expense.

[WesternPacific]

We pay for this stuff through oil prices. Their profits are over the top and at our expense.

How I yearn for the days before we made these Islamic two-faced Arabs wealthy.

[Cicero]

First on the block to own one. Now that the ice has been broken, they’ll be flying out the door.

And I thought that Dubai was stupid to order these things.

[Ax]

Ever wonder how many miles of sewage pipe for the squalid refugee camps in Gaza could’ve been bought for what the “sheet” paid for this new toy?

[bmwcyle]

If only the DEMS could tax him.

[VxH]

[Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the richest Arab in the world and head of the financial group Kingdom Holding Company.]

 

He's also the largest shareholder of Citibank.

 

He became Citibank's largest shareholder on the day the Gulf War ground war started in '91.

 

Nobody said a word.

[Dane]

IT's kinda of ironic that European taxpayers(with Airbus subsidies) are helping the sheikh get his palace.

Eurabia has arrived.

[G8 Diplomat]

Those crazy Arabs....

Aren’t you glad we’re paying $3.20 a gallon for this?

[G8 Diplomat]

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud

This takes the prize for the longest name I've ever seen in my life.

[VOA]

“Saudi prince buys world’s first ‘Flying Palace’ (Airbus A380 “Super-Jumbo”)”

Good for the prince.
And we should thank him for drawing the fire from any shoulder-launched
surface-to-air inventory that Al Queda has.

[VOA]

“He’s also the largest shareholder of Citibank.”

Without any qualms over the decidedly NON-Islamic practice of
charging usurious interest on Citibank credit cards!

[tubasonum]

“Aren’t you glad we’re paying $3.20 a gallon for this?”

Do you think $3.20 a gallon is expensive? If so, take a vacation in Europe and let’s talk when you come back.

[G8 Diplomat]

I’m aware gas in Europe is more like $6/gallon, but I was speaking for Americans specifically in my post, since most FReepers are Americans.

Perhaps if the Europeans ditched their socialized government-run health care that requires stuff like gas to be taxed so the govt can pay for everyone’s coverage, gas wouldn’t be so expensive there.

[DustyMoment]

Good for the Prince. I won’t ever fly on a 380 - flying palace or commercial. I think this aircraft is a dangerous piece of junk. Discovery or the History channel has run a documentary on this aircraft and part of its high price is its outsourced assembly. When I saw that one huge section had to be trucked about 20 miles through a small town that forced the truck to transport the fuselage section within 2 feet either side of the buildings along the road, I KNEW these people were nuts!!!

[avid]

Wonder what that thing costs turnkey ready. 500 Million?

If you want the ultimate gadget on the market, Boeing simply isn’t an option anymore.

[poindexter]

The fact that our predecessors put our security in the hands of Saudi Arabia and other hostile, backward countries is a treasonable offense, IMHO.

[Stoat]

Update:

This story has now been linked by Drudge, and he's linking to this Breitbart page which has a link to an video of a Singapore Airlines edition of this aircraft.  The video shows, among other things, upscale "suites" available in the plane