A plane fit for a Prince
DUBAI – Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, chairman of Kingdom Holdings, has been revealed as the first to order a personal Airbus A380 VIP version.
The prince has signed a firm order with Airbus for an A380 Flying Palace. The aircraft will undergo extensive cabin outfitting at a yet to be chosen completion centre.
Airbus has not disclosed the price of the aircraft nor the delivery date. Currently Airbus is well behind schedule with deliveries of the A380 to the world’s commercial airlines.
Prince Alwaleed is also the only private owner of a Boeing 747-400.
Airbus’ A380 is the world’s newest airliner, and entered service last month with Singapore Airlines.
Kingdom Hotel Investments plans to raise US$100 million to boost its presence in Asia.
The hotel group, in which Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is a 54 percent shareholder, will use the cash to buy hotels and refinance existing properties in Asia.
The company operates 23 hotels, managed by partners such as Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Movenpick Holdings and Four Seasons.
Ian Jarrett
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