Unique private jet concepts unveiled at the Dubai Airshow

DUBAI: A helicopter with vegan seats, a private jet with a sundeck and garage, and a hotelier’s plan to hold discos at 35,000 feet — all concepts were unveiled at the Dubai Airshow.

Lufthansa Technik, an aircraft overhaul specialist and sister company of the German airline, wants to offer a private jet that provides the same experience as a superyacht, taking owners anywhere at any time while also providing the comforts of a five-star hotel and base camp for leisure activities.

At the Airshow, it showed off its “Explorer” cabin concept for a wide-body Airbus A330, that includes a retractable sun deck (that only opens when parked), four double bedrooms, a gym, and a garage.

“We came up with the idea to show an aircraft which is like a flying hotel so that guests who are chartering the aircraft can have a round-the-world trip in two weeks,” said Wieland Timm, head of sales for VIP & special mission aircraft at Lufthansa Technik. That way it would be a faster luxury travel option than a superyacht, he adds, allowing passengers to visit different corners of the world within hours.

But such a service comes at a hefty price. Lufthansa Technik estimates it would cost €100 million (AED 415 m) to fit the cabin in a 200-foot-long Airbus A330, on top of the cost of the aircraft which is usually listed for upwards of $230 million (AED 844 m). “It’s a very big investment,” says Timm.

Another “flying hotel” option was presented by FIVE, a Dubai-based real estate group that runs a chain of luxury hotels and resorts in the city. During the Airshow, it purchased an Airbus ACJ TwoTwenty, which it wants to use to ferry guests around the world from 2023.

Before then, it will be revamping the 786-square-foot aircraft, complete with a dining table for eight passengers and a kitchen where gourmet cuisine from Dubai’s best restaurants will be served. The hotelier’s in-house DJs will perform onboard and there’s a suite with a king-sized bed for whoever wants an early night.

Luxury jets generated a lot of visitor interest, he adds. Among the 175 aircraft on display during the event — representing all sectors from commercial to the military — was Airbus Corporate Helicopters’ vegan helicopter.

The company had fitted out the interior of its newest luxury model, the ACH145, with ultra leather, a synthetic material that mimics the real thing, at the request of wealthy clients Urs and Daniela Brunner. According to Airbus, this was in keeping with the ethical values of Daniela, whose fashion label Giulia and Romeo uses no animal products and donates profits to animal welfare.

However, the uptick in private jets comes despite concern about their disproportionate impact on climate change. Private jets emit five to 14 times more carbon dioxide per passenger than commercial flights, according to the clean transport campaign group Transport & Environment.

It’s not known what the emissions per passenger would be for Lufthansa Technik’s Explorer concept. The Airbus A330 typically carries more than 250 passengers, but the Explorer is designed for 12 VIPs, although its creators say they may develop other variants that could take up to 47.

He adds that some VIP clients are taking steps to be more eco-friendly, for instance, asking for recyclable material to be used in the cabin, and requesting new types of aircraft that are more fuel-efficient or have fewer engines.

Source: Agencies