Hong Kong real estate tycoon Joseph Lau has
ordered a Boeing 787 VIP aircraft, the manufacturer revealed today.
Boeing
values the order from the Hong Kong billionaire at $153 million, the current
list price for the 787 VIP. Lau's purchase increases to seven the number of 787
VIPs ordered directly from the manufacturer. Customers have signed contracts
with leasing companies for additional 787s for VIP use.
The
manufacturer announced Lau's 787 VIP order at the European Business Aviation Conference &
Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. At the show Boeing also unveiled design
concepts for its 747-8 VIP aircraft, which is based on the 747-8
Intercontinental (747-8I), the new stretched 747 model that the company is
developing.
To date,
customers—all undisclosed—have ordered four 747-8 VIP aircraft. There are 22
earlier-model Boeing 747s in VIP use today.
Boeing's
concept rendering for the 747-8 VIP include features such as vaulted ceilings,
spiral staircases and video wall displays.
"With more
than 5,000 square feet of cabin space, the new 747-8 VIP jet epitomizes
incomparable luxury and operational flexibility," said Steven Hill, president
of Boeing Business
Jets.
Incorporating
the advanced technology of the 787, the VIP version of the 747-8I provides a
cabin area of 4,786 square feet (444.6 square meters). The new SkyLoft area,
located above the main cabin between the upper deck and tail of the 747-8I,
potentially provides another 881 square feet (81.8 square meters) of cabin
space, giving owners the opportunity to create unique personal suites, private
offices and recreational spaces.
With the
SkyLoft, the VIP-configured 747-8 offers 5,667 square feet (526.5 square
meters) of cabin space in total. It can carry 100 passengers and fly up to
9,260 nautical miles (17,150 kilometers) at a cruise speed of Mach 0.86.
Although Boeing
has unveiled interior design concepts for the 747-8I VIP—as it did earlier this
year for the 787 VIP—it doesn't design or install interiors for VIP jets. It
delivers them "green" without interior furnishings or exterior paint to
completion centers, where customers work with certified designers to have the
interiors of their VIP aircraft personalized and installed and the exteriors
painted to their specifications.