Photos & video: inside the private 'Airbus A380 VIP' superjumbo
By David Flynn, July 18 2011
Got a lazy half-billion sitting around? Maybe you should splash out on a private Airbus A380 as your next ride.
Those crazy engineers at Lufthansa Technik have cooked up a virtual walkthrough of how they'd kit out a VIP version of the A380.
But perhaps this self-indulgent superjumbo isn't so fanciful. As we previously reported, a member of the Saudi Royal Family has already signed on the dotted line for a private Airbus A380 with gold leaf interior paintjob, marble-panelled dining room, a private gym and movie theatre with leather seats.
Habib Fekih, president of Airbus Middle East, says the company has been approached by two more individuals about the 'VIP' version of the A380.
So what might a private VIP A380 look like? Take the tour...
At the very front of the lower deck is the main 'forward lounge'.
But this is clearly for the B-list, because as you cruise back (pass the mandatory snack bar along the way)...
... you enter the more lavish Royal Lounge.
Here's where Lufthansa Technik reveal rule #1 of designing a private A380: you can never have too many seats or sofas.
Need to get away from the crowd? Retreat to one of the private rooms.
Which of course has its own many-seat sofa.
A private dining room is the perfect place for taking meals and making deals.
As luxe as the lower decks are, upstairs remains the place to be. Make your way up the bling-bedecked staircase...
... and you're in the private lounge.
Standout features? A bar...
... and more cushion-swaddled sofas.
Off to the side are private guest bedrooms...
... a private office...
... and the master bedroom.
This sports an en suite bathroom, of course...
... while the attached private gym room has a treadmill and massage table.
You can watch Lufthansa Technik's complete six-minute video walkthrough below:
A bit over the top? No argument there. So tell us – if you had a private A380 on order from Airbus, what would you want included?
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
13 Feb 2011
Total posts 30
I would want a large galley where celebrity chefs would prepare meals.
A jacuzzi would be nice too, with waiter service I wouldn't need so many bars....
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
+1 for the large galley and celebrity chefs. Jucuzzi, well, why not? But I'd like a shower so I can freshen up before stepping off the plane. That's about it, when it comes to having my own private A380 I am a man of simple needs.
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