670

When I visit one of my friends in PA next week, I’m bringing her a gift of a 20-year-old CD that I know she’ll love (long story as to why I’m bringing her a CD, but yes, I’m also gifting her a CD player and headphones LOL). When my husband and I got together in Dallas with some friends who used to live here in Central FL, but then moved to Texas, they gave us a gift of a kitchen towel that, well, I can’t tell you what was printed on it because we run a PG-13 blog (I can link to it though! Heads up that it’s NSFW due to adult language), but it was perfect for a woman (that would be me) who frequently uses F-bombs as every part of speech known to man (and a few that haven’t been invented yet).

But we’re all, you know, normal people. So CDs and dish towels among friends make perfectly fine gifts.

Rich people? They give each other much nicer presents. Take Qatar, for example. They just recently offered to give Donald Trump a $400 million jet for his official and personal use. It’s being referred to as a “Palace in the Air” that he could use as his new Air Force One for now, and then as part of his presidential library, after his term is finished.

Not a done deal

Of course, it’s not a done deal yet. True, Trump confirmed the offer, posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the offer was a gift to the Defense Department, and that the new presidential jet would be used on a temporary basis “in a very public and transparent transaction.”

However officials in Qatar would not separately confirm that they had agreed to make the gift, now calling it a “possible transfer” that’s “under consideration” and “under review,” while opposition to what realllllly looks like the biggest bribe in presidential history, continues to grow.

The plane’s history

The plane isn’t new. It was delivered to Qatar Amiri Flight in April 2012 (Qatar Ameri Flight is a “VVIP airline owned and operated by the government of Qatar. It operates on-demand, worldwide charters and caters almost exclusively to the royal family of Qatar and government officials.” Thanks, Wikipedia!).

The owner of the jet, who was not named, was not a new customer. It’s said that the design agency had already designed a hotel for the businessman. Instead of micromanaging the design team, the client was very “hands off” and had only one wish for his flagship: it should be luxurious, but simple and practical at the same time. Beyond that, the interior designers had a free hand.

The primary user of the jet was Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Qatari Prime Minister. Then, in in June 2023, it was delivered to Global Jet Isle of Man (a private aviation company).

The inside

The 747’s interior was originally designed and outfitted by design house Cabinet Alberto Pinto. Originally from Morocco, Pinto (1943-21012) was a photographer and interior designer based in Paris. His design agency, which is still in business and run by his sister Lina Pinto, has completed many custom VIP jet interiors in the past, but the 747-8 was considered to be the largest and most ambitious private jet project it has ever worked on. It took four years to complete and is often described as a ‘flying mansion.’

The interior nods to that of cabins of superyachts and luxury apartments, with a mixture of textures and materials. There’s also clever backlighting used throughout the jet, to accentuate features or make to make furniture look like it’s floating.

The cabin is 4,500 square feet (418 square meters). A plane this size would typically carry up to 450 passengers. Not surprisingly, with all the custom work done to it, the jet holds far fewer (but those flying in it are subject to much nicer surroundings than any commercial 747 ever had).

The plane includes a full entryway, living room (located in part of the 747’s iconic “hump”), a children’s play space (also in the “hump”), crew quarters, private office spaces, conference room, a main living space and guest and master bedrooms. Plus business class seats for takeoff and landing. Custom features include curved walls, gold walls, dark wood trim, a cream color palette, plush carpeting and an overall luxurious style that will probably please a man who uses a gold toilet.

In an interview with Altitudes Magazine in 2018, Yves Pickardt, project lead, commented that, “The owner gave us carte blanche. He wasn’t looking for anything outrageously luxurious, with gold and diamonds. On the contrary, he called for some simplicity, which in the end is indeed the true luxury.”

“Such a project is a dream come true that happens only once or twice in a designer’s lifetime,” Pickardt continued. “In a way, this is a landmark in aviation history.”

Photos

Although we don’t have permission to repost photos of the jet’s interiors, Galerie Magazine had access to the inside of the plane in 2018 and they posted photos in their October, 2018 issue. They’re, by far, the best and most complete set of photos we could find.

Click here to see the photos supplied by Galerie Magazine.

Will it happen?

There are a few things that will need to happen before this “gift” is a done deal, but we don’t need to get into that…what’s going to happen, will happen. And it has nothing to do with the topic at hand – what this plane looks like on the inside.

Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.

Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.

Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.

Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!

This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary