Everett, Wash.
Published: Tuesday, November 13, 2007

An A380 for one, please

A billionaire Saudi prince pays a pretty penny to get a jumbo jet all to himself.

Associated Press

 DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- In the annals of excess, it could be a new high: a more than $300 million, super-sized luxury airplane, bought and outfitted solely for the private comfort of a Saudi Arabian billionaire.

Once done, the Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger plane, will be a "flying palace" for Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the manufacturer announced Monday.

Airbus SAS would not give a specific price tag for the VIP double-decker jet, with its football field-length wings, saying only that it would cost more than the aircraft's list price of $320 million.

That doesn't include the money the prince will spend to custom fit the nearly 6,000-square-foot plane to include whatever he wants. The options include private bedrooms, a movie theater or even a gym with a jacuzzi. He'll also need a flight crew of about 15 to operate the luxury liner.

"Prince Alwaleed is the first, and so far the only customer of this aircraft," said David Velupillai, the spokesman of the Airbus, which announced the luxury order at the Dubai International Airshow.

It's all just spending cash for bin Talal -- Citigroup Inc.'s biggest individual shareholder and the world's 13th richest person with assets around $20 billion.

The prince, who is in his early 50s, appears to have a taste for super-sized jumbo jets. He already is the only private owner of a Boeing 747-400, Airbus said.

"It's like buying a new car or a new TV," Velupillai told The Associated Press. "One wants something bigger and better."

The commercial A380 is as tall as a seven-story building and can carrying 853 passengers in an all-economy class configuration.
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