Boeing 787 BBJ KestrelKestrel Aviation Management

Imagine if you owned a 2,400-square-foot luxury home with the ability to fly you and 39 of your closest friends to anywhere you want in less than 17 hours. Next month, China’s HNA Aviation Group will take delivery of a new Boeing 787-8 private jet. As configured, the 787 Boeing Business Jet, has a range of almost 9,800 miles even when packed with 40 passengers, luggage, and fuel.

With a flying time of about 17 hours, the plane can reach virtually any destination on earth, Kestrel Aviation Management CEO Stephen Vella told Business Insider. From start to finish, the aviation consulting firm, Kestrel Aviation, oversaw the creation of this 787.

Although several 787s have been converted from passenger service to private use, this is the first Dreamliner to be built specifically as a BBJ, Vella said. It is the 143rd Dreamliner to roll out of Boeing’s factory and first flew in December 2013. The plane was delivered to Kestrel in January 2014.

Since no one had done a true Boeing 787 private jet before, Kestrel, along with partners Pierrejean Design Studios and Greenpoint Technologies, had to design and engineer the interior of the aircraft from scratch. In fact, the interior took a year to engineer as well as another year and a half to fabricate and install, Vella said.

The innovative Boeing 787 BBJ is not exactly cheap. The base Boeing 787-8 carries a list price of $224.6 million, while the modifications add another $100 million or so to the price tag.

Here’s a closer look at the first Boeing 787-8 BBJ:

For years, Boeing has offered its airliners for sale to private parties or governments under its BBJ program. That ranges from the massive 747-8 jumbo jet …
Reuters/Anthony Bolante
… all the way down to the narrow-body 737. Now, the latest Boeing jet to get the BBJ treatment is the 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner first flew in 2009, and the composite-body airliner is renowned for its range, comfort, and fuel efficiency. Unlike its passenger-ferrying compatriots, however, the BBJ version carries far fewer people but is packed with a ton more features.
Wikimedia Commons
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