European planemaker Airbus today named Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal as the first private buyer of an A380 superjumbo, the world's largest passenger airliner.
The prospective buyer's identity had been kept secret for months but was unveiled to coincide with the Dubai air show.
Prince Alwaleed, whose interests span Kingdom Holding to Euro Disney, hotels and banking, has ordered a VIP version of the A380 dubbed the Flying Palace. He already owns a Boeing 747-400, the newest type of the original jumbo jet currently in service.
The bigger Airbus superjumbo has been hit by production delays but entered service with Singapore Airlines last month. It can seat 525 passengers in three classes or more than 800 in an all-economy layout by using less space between seats.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich recently denied reports that he had bought himself a private A380.
The ordinary passenger edition sells for over $300m but the price of the special-edition aircraft was not disclosed.
The A380 can be fitted with cocktail bars, casinos, showers and sleeping quarters for first class passengers on ordinary airlines. For the super rich, the sky is the limit.
