Only 16 Flights Take 30 Hours, Boeing 747 Aircraft Is Reservoired And Equipped

Illustration of Boeing 747-8 aircraft. (Wikimedia Commons/Alex Beltyukov)

JAKARTA - A Boeing 747 which is configured as a private VIP jet is grounded and its parts will be stripped, after spending just 30 hours in service during 16 flights.

The plane, originally intended for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was stranded on the ground for nearly 10 years at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, which is located on the border between France, Switzerland, and Germany.

There, the plane was meant to be equipped with a luxurious interior, but that never happened. After failing to find a new buyer, the plane was eventually flown to Pinal Airpark in Arizona, where the retired aircraft were stripped of their parts or stored indefinitely.

The plane was designed as BBJ, the "Boeing Business Jet", a massively modified Boeing jet edition targeted for the government and corporate clients. The distance is more than 10,000 miles, with a cabin area of about 5,000 square feet unmatched by other business aircraft.

It is 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 expensive operating costs.

Lastly, sent to cargo operator Atlas Air in early 2023, marking the end of production history of 747, although the variant is still in the spotlight in the future. Two other 747-8 are currently being converted into the next Air Force One aircraft.

Boeing telah menjual lebih dari 250 BBJ hingga saat ini, sebagian besar dari mereka adalah 737, yang memiliki daya tarik pasar yang lebih luas. Sementara, BBJ 747-8 berkemat empat yang besar, mahal, lebih sulit dijual.

"A total of ten were made, and this is the first to be retired",words Diver, senior analyst at aviation analytics firm Cirium,as reported by CNN on February 16.

"It's not clear who actually bought it, but it's a very, very large private plane and the only operator or buyer tends to be the government and the royal family."

It said this was specifically for the government of Saudi Arabia, and specifically for the Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, but he died in 2011, just months before scheduled delivery. The aircraft, codenamed the mandatory N458BJ, first flew in May 2012 for testing, and was officially delivered in June 2012.

"According to our database, the possibility of flying through San Bernardino and then San Antonio in Texas for several months, and then in December 2012 flying to Basel," said Diver.

Usually, big business jets are delivered under conditions called "green", from the color of the fuselage's protective layer, which means the interior is empty and the interior needs to be installed.

"I suspect that's the reason why he initially went there, to be installed. Of course, that never happened. And it looks like it's been parked there for 10 years," said Diver.

Losing its original destination in 2017, the plane was sold for $ 95 million, down from an initial price of around US $ 350 million, according to Diver.

The plane is still empty and advertised as "ready for conversion" in brochures that can still be found online. But it never sold.

"No one but the head of the Saudi state wants a four-engine private business jet," said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at AeroDynamic Advisory.

One of the main hurdles for sales is the high cost of interior installation.

"Insulating one of these will cost 30, 40, maybe 50 million dollars. While you might think it's a new plane, alternative uses are somewhat limited. Commercial passenger variants have limited production and very few airlines are operating them, and they won't be interested in taking them anymore. So the only other option is another government, but obviously that's not the case," he explained.

Boeing, who refused to answer a series of questions about the plane when contacted by CNN, finally bought it back in 2022, from an aircraft trading company called Aircraft Finance Germany. The plane flew to Arizona on April 15, 2022, adding 10 hours longer in the air, representing about a quarter of its total flight time. His final takeoff from Basel, immortalized on YouTube.

At Pinal Airpark, Boeing contractors are still working on the demolition of the plane, which has been stripped of its most valuable parts.

"I've seen the photos and they've been dismantled, the machines have been removed. They're completely new, and one of them may be in the range of 20 million US dollars, so four may be in the range of 80 million US dollars," explained Diver.

Major systems such as additional power units and some environmental control systems will also be the first, according to Aboulafia.

"The total production of 747-8 is about 150 aircraft. It is a small group of users and a small number of aircraft. But on the other hand, they want to keep it. I suspect many components may enter cargo people," he explained.

It is unclear whether the aircraft will be completely dismantled or stored for later taking part.

"What could happen in this case is that it will be parked there until a certain part is needed. They may not have to throw it away, and leave it for a few years until someone wants a certain part," said Diver.

It is known that nine other BBJ 747s are still operated by the Governments of Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar and Turkey, according to Diver. With a typical 747 lifespan of 25 to 30 years, this aircraft will set a difficult record to exceed by retiring at the age of 10.