Photos: inside the private Airbus A380 Flying Palace

When flying in first class becomes a bore and a regular private jet doesn’t cut the mustard, look no further than a fully-customised Airbus A380 ‘Flying Palace’.

From a private entrance by elevator to bypass the aerobridges and ‘regular’ folk in the airport terminals through to boardrooms, fixed dining tables and en suite private showers, these planes have it all.

In fact, one nearly made its way into the hands of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal in 2013, although the Saudi Arabian royal sold the decked-out jet for reasons unknown before even taking it for a test flight.

But if you can overcome your cold feet, you’ll have not just one, but five private bedrooms to choose from…

… each with a king bed, a relaxation and dining area, and of course, an en suite bathroom and shower.

When you’re ready to emerge, there’s an on-board concert hall with seating for ten passengers…

… while bar stools allow the space to double as a casual meet-up zone with drinks and other refreshments.

For more formal discussions, those ten guests can then meander over to a private meeting room with presentation facilities:

There’s a larger 14-seat dining and meeting zone for bigger parties, with the seats all boasting extendable footrests, massage facilities and adjustable lumbar support.

For a change of venue, there’s a laidback boardroom-style table for meetings or an elegant midnight snack…

The head of the table, of course, has a direct view of the TV at the opposite end in case the meeting gets a little boring...
Edese Doret

… although if you’re royalty, you’d probably prefer to enjoy the serenity of your in-air throne:

To wind down at the end of a long day, plonk yourself in the sitting room – but even if you’re told to ‘make yourself at home’, don’t rest your feet on that coffee table!

Of course, the Prince wouldn't have needed to share a seat...
Edese Doret

Ready to buy? All of this can be yours for a cool $500 million… but if that’s too pricey, there’s always The Residence by Etihad – a much more affordable $80,000 return trip from Sydney to London on the A380.

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.