Pablo Escobar’s Private Jet Is Now an Airbnb
Fancy spending the night on a private jet for a few hundred dollars per night, partying like an ’80s rock star? Throw in the fact that the jet belonged to the “King of Cocaine” Pablo Escobar, and the bizarro ‘Miami Vice’ theme is even more compelling.
The converted 727-100 business jet is accessible as a permanently grounded Airbnb in Bristol, England. Local entrepreneur Johnny Palmer came upon the old bizliner in an aircraft graveyard, figuring it might have a second life as a theme hotel or make a good location for a photo shoot. Decommissioned in 2012, Palmer bought the jet without engines or wings and towed it to his industrial estate in Bristol.
The wingless Airbnb took two years to restore to ’80s glory.
PYTCH
Palmer originally bought the Boeing as a cool family toy “for having sleepovers with the kids,” but then the Airbnb concept hit. “There are loads of commercial aircraft restoration projects, but this is the only business jet in the world,” he says. “Everything was there, and we did a proper restoration job, so it looks like it never left the ‘80s.”
The Boeing has original leather seats, a gold-plated shower and toilet, and walnut paneling. Palmer says four can sleep overnight on board, two in the aft stateroom, which has its own shower, two in the twin beds, and other seats convert to sleepers.
The seats have original ’80s leather.
PYTCH
Palmer spent two years, or about 1,000 hours, refitting the jet into a theme hotel, adding lighting, plumbing, modern televisions, and a kitchen with fridge. He even put lights in the cockpit—which still has its original equipment and seating and looks like it’s getting ready to escape a DEA raid.
There is a converted commercial 727 in Alaska that is also an Airbnb, another in the U.K., and a 1958 Lockheed Constellation Starliner has been converted into a bar at JFK Airport. But none have the mystery or style of staying in a former drug kingpin’s private jet.
The Escobar connection, Palmer admits, could be a bit of an urban legend. The aircraft was also rumored to have belonged to an Arab prince and even the Mafia. Whatever the truth, guests still love the mystique. “There’s a bit of role-playing going on,” he says. “People enjoy living the billionaire fantasy for a while and then returning to their normal lives.”
The main suite.
PYTCH
A nightly stay will run about $320 midweek and $625 on the weekends. Palmer is planning to add another renovated 727-100, possibly even two, beside the current aircraft. The other aircraft will also be without wings or engines.
That means Palmer won’t have the associated costs of aircraft ownership that could run into millions of dollars each year. “Everyone wants a private jet, right?” he says. “But this is perfect, the one I wanted—one that can’t fly.”
