![]() ![]() Typically, large business jets are delivered in what’s called a “green” condition – from the color of the protective coating of the fuselage – which means they are empty inside and the interior needs to be installed. “According to our database, it flew via possibly San Bernardino and then San Antonio in Texas for a couple of months, and then in December of 2012 it went to Basel,” says Diver. The plane, which was assigned a mandatory registration code – N458BJ – first flew in May 2012 for testing, and was officially delivered in June 2012. This particular one was intended for the Saudi Arabian government, and specifically for the Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, but he died in 2011, just months before the scheduled delivery. “It’s not transparent who exactly is buying them, but it’s a very, very large private aircraft and the only operators or buyers tend to be governments and royal families.” The large, expensive, four-engined BBJ 747-8 was a harder sell: “Ten were built in total, and this is the first one retired,” says Connor Diver, a senior analyst at aviation analytics firm Cirium. The final one, delivered to cargo operator Atlas Air in early 2023, marked the end of the 747’s production history, though the variant still has a future in the spotlight: two 747-8s are currently being transformed into the next Air Force One planes.īoeing has sold over 250 BBJs to date, the vast majority of them 737s, which have a broader market appeal. It’s also the most advanced model of the Boeing 747 ever produced – the 747-8 variant – which first flew in 2010 but failed to find commercial success due to being expensive to operate. Its range of over 10,000 miles and cabin space of about 5,000 square feet are unrivaled by any other business aircraft. The plane is a BBJ, for “Boeing Business Jet” – heavily modified editions of Boeing’s jetliners targeted to governments and corporate clients. There, it was meant to be fitted with a lavish interior, but that never happened, and after failing to find a new buyer, the plane was eventually flown to Pinal Airpark in Arizona – an aircraft boneyard where retired planes get stripped for parts or stored indefinitely. The aircraft, originally intended for a Saudi royal, sat on the ground for almost 10 years at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, located at the border between France, Switzerland and Germany. 186 685 Kg / 63.030 US Gal.A Boeing 747 configured as a private VIP jet is being scrapped after having spent just 30 hours in service over 16 flights. Operating Empty Weight: 239,270 Kilogramsįuel Capacity: 240,470 L. Maximum Landing Weight: 312,071 Kilograms Maximum Takeoff Weight: 447,695 Kilograms In-Service at Date: Ferry flight to Basel in Decem30 TT/ 16 Cycles The aircraft will be delivered in Airworthy serviceable condition, with fresh maintenance and current AD’s and SB’s complied with. Aircraft has no interior, ready for conversion. ![]() It was stored at Basel, Switzerland, and flown in 2022 to Marana Arizona Pinal Airpark for dismantling.Ī previous For Sale Ad listed it as “One Owner, NO Damage History. However, crown prince Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud it was bought for died whilst the aircraft’s interior was still being prepared.ĪFG Aviation Ireland Limited (AFG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aircraft Finance Germany GmbH acquired the aircraft in July 2019 probably with the hope of finding an operator but after Covid it was sold to Boeing in April 2022.īOEING 747 – MSN 40065 HZ-HMS1Serial number 40065 LN:1446Type 747-8JA(BBJ)First flight date Test registration N458BJ. N458BJ was first commissioned by the Saudi Arabian Royal Flight group in June 2012 and was to be registered HM-HMS1. 747-8 with under 50 hours being scrapped for parts (parted out). ![]()
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