Jumbo jet BA 747 ‘Negus’ is set to earn its keep as a ‘party plane’, having been retired from London Heathrow in 2020 and purchased for just £1 by Cotswold Airport near Cirencester.
A £500,000 transformation has involved stripping away some of the original seats from the economy section (sold off, or given away as prizes on Instagram) to make room for the new dance floor complete with DJ booth.
From corporate gatherings to birthday parties, the jumbo jet can host an array of events – and is even licensed for weddings with up to 88 guests.
Costing upwards of £1,000 an hour to hire out, the only bespoke events 747 in the world now has a bar where a galley used to be and part of its ceiling has been removed to reveal a glimpse of the internal structure.
‘She was bought under a preservation contract, which meant we needed to keep as much as possible original,’ said Amy Castle from Cotswold Airport.
‘This iconic aircraft is loved by so many, so we wanted to make sure that fans could visit her and see most of the original features.’
The plane will also serve as a museum for aerospace fanatics, giving the visitors the chance to see areas that would usually be off-limits to the public.
However, despite being grounded Negus 747 is technically still a live aircraft… dashing the hopes of anyone hoping to take a selfie in the pilot seat, as visitors won’t be able to enter the cockpit – although they can still look inside.
Bookable via an app launching at the end of February 2022, tours will initially take place every Wednesday and Saturday from early March, costing £10 per adult (with one under 12 free with each paying adult) and additional child tickets costing £5.
Now accepting event bookings from 1 March 2022, Cotswold Airport has been overwhelmed with enquiries – availability this summer is already limited and some of the keenest partygoers have already booked for 2024.
