Want to spend the night in a private jet for a few hundred dollars a night, partying like an ’80s rock star? Add the fact that the jet once belonged to Pablo Escobar, and the “Miami Vice” vintage theme becomes even more enticing.
The converted executive 727-100 jet is available as an Airbnb, permanently grounded in Bristol, England.
Local entrepreneur Johnny Palmer found the old bizliner in a plane graveyard, imagining it could have a second life as a themed hotel or a great location for a photo shoot.
Decommissioned in 2012, Palmer purchased the jet without engines or wings and towed it to his industrial property in Bristol.
Palmer originally bought the Boeing as a cool family toy “to sleep with the kids,” but then the Airbnb concept came up. “There are many commercial aircraft restoration projects, but this is the only executive jet in the world,” he says. “It was all there, and we did a proper restoration job, so it feels like it never left the ’80s.”
Interior of Pablo Escobar’s private jet. Photo: Pytch
The Boeing has original leather seats, a gold-plated shower and toilet, and walnut panels. Palmer says that four people can sleep on board overnight, two in the aft cabin, which has its own shower, two on the single beds, and other seats can be converted into sleeping areas.
Palmer spent two years, or about 1,000 hours, restoring the jet into a themed hotel, adding lighting, plumbing, modern televisions, and a kitchen with a refrigerator. He even added lights to the cabin — which still has its original equipment and seats and looks ready to escape a DEA raid.
There’s a converted 727 in Alaska that’s also an Airbnb, another in the UK, and a 1958 Lockheed Constellation Starliner that was converted into a bar at JFK Airport. But none have the mystery or style of staying in a former drug lord’s private jet.
The connection to Escobar, Palmer admits, might be a bit of an urban legend. There were also rumors that the aircraft once belonged to an Arab prince or even the mafia. Whatever the truth, guests still love the mystique. “There’s a bit of theatrics going on,” he says. “People like living the billionaire fantasy for a while and then returning to their normal lives.”
An overnight stay will cost around $320 mid-week and $625 on weekends. Palmer plans to add another refurbished 727-100, possibly even two, in addition to the current aircraft. The other aircraft will also be without wings or engines.
This means Palmer won’t have the costs associated with owning aircraft, which can run into millions of dollars every year. “Everyone wants a private jet, right?” he says. “But this is perfect, exactly what I wanted — one that can’t fly.”
Source: RobbReport. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
