Battle of the bling wings

Battle of the bling wings: How Lewis Hamilton, Donald Trump and the princes of Saudi Arabia pimp up their private planes to show off in front of their high-flying pals

Private jets, once preserve of supervillains or royalty, becoming more popular
Lewis Hamilton has a £16.5 million red Bombardier Challenger 650 with 10 seats
Saudi prince Al-Waleed bin Talal was the first man to order an Airbus A380 jet
Roman Abramovich supposedly had a missile system put on his Boeing 767-33A

The sign of ultimate luxury used to be whether you turned left when entering an aeroplane. Could you afford the caviar, champagne on tap and fully reclining seats of first class? Today, the real test is whether, like Lewis Hamilton, you can afford the plane itself.

Private jets, once only the preserve of Marvel Comics supervillains or royalty, are becoming ever more popular, as the wealth of the global elite continues to accumulate.

Hamilton, 32, of course, has been accused of avoiding a £3.3 million VAT bill by importing his private plane into the Isle of Man from Canada.

Under Trump’s refit, ‘Trump Force One’ has a ‘sky cinema’ with a 57in screen TV and a sitting room completely lined in walnut veneer

Hamilton, 32, of course, has been accused of avoiding a £3.3 million VAT bill by importing his private plane into the Isle of Man from Canada. Pictured: The F1 driver’s plane

The Trump touch… gold belt buckles

Trump Force One, as this aircraft was inevitably nicknamed, became a key part of Donald Trump’s successful bid for the White House

Most candidates have access to a plane – they usually don’t own their own. Pictured: Trump’s ensuite

Pictured: Trump with the First Lady as they leave his other plane, Air Force One

Trump Force One, as this aircraft was inevitably nicknamed, became a key part of Donald Trump’s successful bid for the White House. Most candidates have access to a plane – they usually don’t own their own.

More than this, he boasted it was better than Air Force One, ‘in every way’. Trump bought it in 2011 for $100 million (£76 million), or so he claimed at the time. Most think this is an exaggeration. The Boeing 757-200 was previously owned by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder.

‘Very rich Italian’ chased by waiter for ‘only leaving 500 euro tip’

Martin Lewis issues urgent warning to see ‘gains worth £10,000’

Trump went about refurbishing it in his own brash style. Gold is the signature material and can be found lining the sink in the master bathroom. The seatbelt buckles also have 24-carat gold plating.

Under Trump’s refit, it also has a ‘sky cinema’ with a 57in screen TV and a sitting room completely lined in walnut veneer. Trump’s master bedroom was lined in champagne coloured silk and filled with scatter cushions bearing his family crest.

Trump bought it in 2011 for $100 million (£76 million), or so he claimed at the time. Most think this is an exaggeration

Trump’s master bedroom was lined in champagne coloured silk and filled with scatter cushions bearing his family crest. Pictured: A sparse part of the aircraft

Pictured: Trump Force One. Trump went about refurbishing it in his own brash style. Gold is the signature material and can be found lining the sink in the master bathroom. The seatbelt buckles also have 24-carat gold plating

But, for many, it was the jet itself that raised eyebrows: a £16.5 million red Bombardier Challenger 650 with ten seats, a top speed of 540mph and with his initials embroidered into the black leather upholstery.

In the world of private jets, however, where on-board parking for your Rolls-Royce is a possibility, this is positively modest. True, you can pick up a second-hand Cessna for less than £100,000, but that won’t cut the mustard at the Dubai Grand Prix or Providenciales Airport on the Turks and Caicos Islands.

To really impress your fellow plutocrats, you need at least a Gulfstream G650, or ideally, your own Boeing 737, fitted out with enough gold leaf for Croesus himself to feel at home. The plane will cost you about £60 million – and that’s before you fit it out.

Saudi billionaire’s throne in the sky

The luxurious interior of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s private Boeing 747 airplane

Al-Waleed bin Talal (pictured) probably dreaming of using this jet right now to escape his current predicament – he’s been arrested in an anti-corruption crackdown

Saudi prince Al-Waleed bin Talal is so keen on displaying his wealth, he not only issued legal proceedings against Forbes for underestimating his fortune (it’s about £13 billion), but he was also the first man to order an Airbus A380 as a private jet.

It was due to have a Turkish bath, a concert hall, a garage for a couple of Rolls Royces, and most remarkably of all, a magic carpet area with a floor made of screens displaying the terrain below.

The plane was sold by Al-Waleed before it ever materialised. So he had to make do with this, his customised Boeing 747. The seating area includes a throne from which he conducts meetings. It also has a 14-seat dining room.

He’s probably dreaming of using this jet right now to escape his current predicament – he’s been arrested in an anti-corruption crackdown.

The seating area includes a throne from which he conducts meetings. It also has a 14-seat dining room

Take the Airbus A340 bought by a member of a Middle Eastern royal family and fitted out by designer Celia Sawyer.

She won’t name the family but she did describe ‘a spectacular gold living room, with a runway down the middle to the bar, flanked by gold sofas, with the best leather. It was a lot of fun to do’.

Fitting out a jet that in normal circumstances can fit 377 passengers cost a stratospheric £30 million, included fixtures, fittings and labour – and her fee, of course. She says people with that amount to spend invariably want gold, marble and leather –and plenty of gimmicks. ‘It can all get a bit James Bond,’ she agrees.

Private jets, once only the preserve of Marvel Comics supervillains or royalty, are becoming ever more popular, as the wealth of the global elite continues to accumulate. Pictured: Lewis Hamilton’s private jet

Lewis Hamilton, who took delivery of his plane in 2013, has ensured it is customised so it adequately reflects his image

As private jets go, this Bombardier Challenger 605 is pretty modest. Well, as modest as a £16 million vehicle can be. It seats ten, and doesn’t even have a shower.

But Lewis Hamilton, who took delivery of it in 2013, has ensured it is customised so it adequately reflects his image. The outside is painted a blood red and Hamilton frequently likes to perch on the wing to promote his role as an ambassador for Bombardier.

It is unclear how much of a discount he received for regularly plugging the brand on social media. The interior includes black leather seats with his initials sewn into the leather. There is also a bar, lots of plasma screens and a pull-out bed for those long transatlantic flights.

The final touch? Hamilton changed the registration to G-LCDH, standing for Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton. That certainly trumps a personalised number plate on your Mercedes.

The final touch? Hamilton changed the registration to G-LCDH, standing for Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton. That certainly trumps a personalised number plate on your Mercedes

As private jets go, this Bombardier Challenger 605 is pretty modest. Well, as modest as a £16 million vehicle can be

Lewis Hamilton celebrates fourth world title with friends and family

Roman Abramovich supposedly had a missile system installed on his Boeing 767-33A, nicknamed The Bandit. The Sultan of Brunei had gold sinks in his plane and Donald Trump, never knowingly understated, insisted the seat buckles on ‘Trump One’ were plated in 24-carat gold. Sawyer continues: ‘I’ve been asked to put in a bowling alley. I laughed and said No. But spas are very common, with a beauty therapist on board, a massage table, sinks.’

Christopher Mbanefo, of Yasava Solutions, a Swiss-based firm which specialises in fitting out jets, says people who can afford a Gulfstream, will invariably travel with plenty of staff.

So creating space is essential – or at least the illusion of it. ‘What you don’t want is the security staff in the sitting room with the client.’

In his view, too many private jets are ‘no better than premium economy’ – packed with chairs that don’t even have the space to recline properly.

Celia Sawyer (pictured), an interior designer who is known to many as one of the buyers on Channel 4’s Four Rooms

There are many companies that specialise in fitting out private jets, but if you’re a Gulf oil sheik or a Russian oligarch you turn to one person: Celia Sawyer, an interior designer who is known to many as one of the buyers on Channel 4’s Four Rooms.

Her biggest project was a £30 million refit of an Airbus A340 for an unnamed Middle Eastern royal involving an awful lot of gold leaf and sofas upholstered in gold crocodile skin.

‘It was a lot of fun,’ she says. We bet it was.

Her biggest project was a £30 million refit of an Airbus A340 for an unnamed Middle Eastern royal involving an awful lot of gold leaf and sofas upholstered in gold crocodile skin

Pictured: The salon and bar and the palatial bedroom

Those that can’t afford to buy and run their own aircraft (it costs at least £500,000 a year to keep a private jet airborne with crew and maintenance) can hire one.

PrivateFly is the Uber of private jets, allowing wealthy individuals to charter their own planes. Its most popular route is London to Ibiza in an eight-seater Cessna Citation XLS, which will cost you £12,300 (one way) for the use of the whole aircraft.

Most oligarchs and oil sheiks want to do it the traditional way, of course – and own the plane outright. And the sign you’ve really made it? According to Celia Sawyer, nothing more complicated than an onboard bath.

‘It’s the biggest challenge. It’s extremely hard to do,’ she says. ‘Where does the water get stored and where does it go afterwards?’ The answer is into the cargo bay, usually.

She says those with a spare £50 million tend to believe more is more. ‘I’ve seen a fake fireplace before. It’s a bit naff, though, I think.’ The one thing money can’t buy is taste.