A privately repurposed version of Boeing’s 747-8 aircraft has returned to the US after failing to find a buyer, despite a reduced $95 million USD price tag.
The plane was allegedly intended for Sultan bin Abdulaziz, who served as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 2005 until his death in October 2011. He had reportedly been seeking cancer treatment in the United States.
After an initial test flight, the aircraft flew to Basel, Switzerland a decade ago for its interior to be installed – however, a refitting never took place. Planespotters captured the plane’s take-off for its final flight, having flown just 30 hours over its 10-year lifespan.
The plane retired to Pinal Park in Arizona, where it will not be scrapped all at once but instead lie in storage to be disassembled in a piecemeal way depending on demand for its custom spare parts. The engines alone are expected to fetch $80 million USD.
WATCH this Saudi prince’s private 747 make its final flight below.
The four-engined aircraft was likely unable to find a buyer on the private market due to its sheer size and operating cost, which hindered its commercial viability and takeup by passenger airlines… Which should give you some perspective on how cashed-up this Saudi prince was.
Instead, Boeing’s model mainly found use by governments, who were less dissuaded by cost and more attracted to its impressive range of over 15,000km – equivalent to the distances between Sydney to New York or Sydney to London.
Boeing is currently producing a pair of 747-8s destined to be new Air Force Ones (i.e. the President of the United States’ plane) which will be delivered in 2024 under a $3.9 billion USD contract signed with the US government. Who knows, maybe some Saudi engines may find their way on board?