Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/BALI: Formerly part of Mandala Airlines’ fleet, this retired Boeing 737 has been converted into a luxury private villa near Bali’s Nyang-Nyang beach in Indonesia.
The possibilities for retired aircraft seem limitless, ranging from returning to the skies in new livery to fly for another airline to being reused for parts or moving an aircraft boneyard.
Some have been transformed into restaurants, museums, cafes, and nightclubs. However, this private jet-turned-luxury villa on a clifftop near Nyang-Nyang beach on the island of Bali in Indonesia may be one of the most stunning aircraft conversions to date. The retired Boeing 737, which was previously part of Mandala Airlines’ fleet, was purchased by developer Felix Demin in 2021 and transported to its distant area. The Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens, which sits 150 metres above sea level and has two bedrooms and a swimming pool, is available for rent from April, with rates starting at around $7,000.
Jet turned villa
Demin, who also owns the Bubble Hotel Bali hotel chain, says he initially considered buying a private plane for personal use but quickly saw the potential to transform the plane into something extraordinary. He explained that he found 20 or so similar planes around Indonesia while searching and that even before buying it, he thought it was possible to convert it into yet another object and decided to focus on creating a villa.
Denim eventually settled on a Boeing 737 bought by an investor from Indonesia and agreed to buy it. However, transporting the aircraft from its original location in Bali to a clifftop several miles away required considerable effort. After consulting with the Boeing team, he explained that they had to split it.
According to Demin, who has resided in Bali for about eight years, the process took two months to plan. The transportation required two cranes, a large platform, various specialists, and a five-day police escort.
Social media sensation
Since its unveiling, this unique project has received much attention on social media, resulting in some unusual incidents.
While Demin emphasized that the aircraft has undergone numerous safety checks, its precarious position and the various images shared of influencers walking along the wing or with their legs hanging out the plane door have certainly raised eyebrows. Demin explains that a safety barrier has been installed on the rock. He claims, however, that he has had difficulty finding someone to install a glass barrier on a wing over a cliff.
Demin is looking forward to welcoming guests to the private jet villa, which is set to open in April after years of painstaking work on the project. It comes a year after a decommissioned British Airways plane was reborn as a one-of-a-kind event space for hire at the privately owned Cotswold Airport in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Jumbo Stay Hotel, a former Boeing 747 converted into a hostel/hotel, opened in 2009 near Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden.
