- Aviation blogger Sam Chui had the flight of a lifetime aboard a luxurious private jet that was owned by the Qatari royal family.
- He flew four hours from Hamilton, Canada, to Marana, Arizona, as the sole passenger.
- The plane has a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a dining room, conference room, and an office, among other amenities.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Aviation blogger Sam Chui didn’t have to think twice when he got a last-minute invitation to fly on a private jet formerly owned by the Qatari royal family.
In Mauritius, Africa, at the time, he flew to Paris, then Toronto, spending 32 hours in transit to make it happen. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” he told Insider.
Exploring the luxurious plane from nose to tail, he said it felt “like a dream,” and like being inside a “flying palace.”
Chui was the only passenger on the flight, which went from Hamilton, Canada, to Marana, Arizona. The plane had been in Canada for just over a year, and was getting sent for a maintenance check in order to find a potential new buyer.
Keep scrolling to take a tour of the luxurious private jet.
The plane is a 747-SP – the "SP" stands for "special performance."
This one was built in 1979, and used by Pan Am before being sold to United in 1986. It was used by the Qatari royal family from 1995 to 2018.
Chui says the plane is very rare, and estimates that only around five are still actively in use - one used for reasearch by NASA, the rest owned by Middle Eastern heads of state.
Having belonged to royals, the private jet features no shortage of luxe details.
"The décor was very Middle Eastern, very golden, very palatial," he said. "Not to everyone's taste, but very grand, and will have you wowed."
Like this gold sink.
"Everything on the plane is just luxury!" Chui exclaims in the video tour.
The bathroom is attached to a master bedroom, which has an electronic bed that can be adjusted.
He estimates that the royal family spent around $100 million on the plane's décor when they purchased it, making it worth around $200 million then. Today, however, he estimates its market value at between $8 and $10 million.
The upper deck features 12 La-Z-Boy seats that recline almost all the way back.
There's a galley at the back.
A spiral staircase leads downstairs.
The plane is a double decker.
A huge dining room room seats 12.
Art adorns the walls.
There's also a less formal dining area and conference room.
The blue chair is essentially the king's airborne throne. "I got to sit in the throne, where the king sits, it was very unreal!" he said.
Works of art depict scenes of Qatar.
"It's a very unique and rare experience," he said, adding that it was especially surreal because he was the only passnger onboard, besides the three pilots.
"I was physically trying out lots of different seats, all the zones, examining the plane. It was a very exhilarating experience," he said.
For the plebes (employees, journalists, and other entourage), a general seating area with comfy chairs exists.
Chui called the experience "my best flight of 2019 so far."
See the full tour below:
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