Simulation of an Airbus A330 Explorer plane (Simulation: Lufthansa Technik)
What do we do with planes that have "retired" from active service?
The options are many - from upgrading and repairing in favor of using another airline to recycling and dismantling into parts.
And there are also quite a few planes that have been grounded and turned into restaurants, museums, cafes and even party clubs.
But the next plane, which became a luxury villa standing on top of a cliff near Nyang-Nyang beach on the Indonesian island of Bali, takes pride of place on the list of "the most beautiful things you can do with planes".
The CNN website reports that the retired Boeing 737, which was part of the fleet of the Indonesian airline Mandala Airlines, was purchased by entrepreneur Felix Damin back in 2021 and moved to its current remote location.
In its new version, it includes two bedrooms and a swimming pool.
It is located at a height of 150 meters above sea level, and if you are interested in going there during the upcoming Passover holiday - you should know that it is available for rent from April.
The price per night starts around 7,000 dollars.
The luxury plane that has a disco, a spa and a transparent floor is
an illusion in the air: a huge "flying hotel" that does not need to land for years
to live in a Boeing 727: is it a hotel?
is it a plane
It's both!
An old Boeing 747 was sold for a dollar and turned into a party club
Was part of the fleet of the Indonesian airline Mandala Airlines.
The plane that became a villa (photo: screenshot, privatejetvilla)
In its new version, the plane includes two bedrooms and a swimming pool (photo: screenshot, privatejetvilla)
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to dismantle 50,000 screws
Damin, who is also the owner of the hotel chain Bubble Hotel Bali, says that at the beginning he considered purchasing a private plane for his personal use, but very quickly realized the potential in turning it into something truly special.
"Even before I purchased it, I thought it could be converted into something unique, and I decided to concentrate on creating a villa," he says, adding that until he found the plane that best suited the matter, he checked about 20 other planes located throughout Indonesia.
One of the biggest challenges was transporting the plane to the top of the cliff on the island of Bali.
"We had to dismantle it, and this after consulting with the Boeing team," he explains.
"During the work, we opened 50,000 screws."
According to Damin, who has lived in Bali for about eight years, the entire process took about two months of planning, but the actual transport - which included the use of two cranes, a huge platform, various experts and police escort - lasted a total of five days.
"These were the five days with the most lack of sleep," he adds, since a significant part of the work was done at night.
"In Bali there are very narrow roads and a lot of fairly low power cables. We had a group of people who stopped using special equipment just to lift the cables higher so that the plane wouldn't hit them during transport," says Damin.
After the aircraft was reassembled on the southernmost coast of Bali, work began to empty it of its original interior equipment, with the aim of completing the lengthy refurbishment work.
Demin says that at this point, he went to great lengths to ensure that the interior design looked exactly like his initial vision.
"I want people to experience the 'wow effect' every second they are in this unusual place,"
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An old Boeing 747 was sold for a dollar and turned into a party club
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The price per night in the plane villa starts around 7,000 dollars (photo: screenshot, privatejetvilla)
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Influencers and risk takers
The villa can be reached via a staircase leading to the main entrance.
Inside you will find a living room with a bar, a sofa bed and glass partitions, as well as two bedrooms with a walk-in closet.
The original cockpit has been converted into a large bathroom, where there are additional portholes that provide spectacular views.
In the outdoor area there are lounge chairs and a designated area for a fire.
Since the unique project was unveiled earlier this year, it has been getting a lot of attention on social media, leading to some strange incidents.
"One day I arrived and saw that the fence was broken and 150 people were sitting on our plane," says Damin, recalling that another time, a parachuting enthusiast climbed onto the plane, stepped on one of its wings above the abyss, and jumped for a paragliding.
While Damin emphasizes that the plane has passed many safety tests, its somewhat dangerous location, as well as many influencers who photographed themselves walking on its wing above the landscape, caused quite a bit of criticism.
Damin wanted to place a transparent glass barrier on the wing above the cliff, but could not find a professional who would do it.
"Everyone is afraid to do it," he admits.
"But we'll do it anyway, as soon as we find someone brave enough to do the job."
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