Not one to stick with tradition, Dubai’s Five Hotels and Resorts has become the first company to launch the world’s first fully customised ACJ TwoTwenty private jet.
Developed by Swiss aviation company Comlux, the Airbus jet is available to charter from Dubai's famed party hotel group.
The Fly Five charter service allows passengers to hire the jet to travel to destinations within a 12-hour flight radius, meaning the likes of party hotspots such as Santorini and Ibiza, plus Five’s first European resort in Zurich, are all within reach.
Designed to bring Five Hotels’ renowned lively vibe to the skies, the jet is a striking piece of aircraft manufacturing combined with a party-like aesthetic.
Named 9H-Five – a moniker that’s pronounced Nine Hotel Five – the extra-large business jet has a capacity for up to 16 passengers.
Stylish on the outside, with a wingspan of 35.1 metres and a sleek white livery emblazoned with the hotel group’s pink and purple-toned branding, it's inside that this aircraft truly comes alive.
Charter rates for the jet will cost $13,000 to $14,000 a flying hour.
The National was invited on the jet's inaugural passenger flight on Friday, travelling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. On-board, music was pumping and cabin crew buzzed around serving refreshments and a menu of hot and cold canapes, plus miniature desserts.
“With its stunning design, spacious two times larger cabin than a typical business jet and state-of-the-art technology including unparalleled on-board connectivity, the ACJ TwoTwenty sets a new standard in long-haul business travel,” said Benoit Defforge, president of ACJ.
With 73 square metres of floor space, Fly Five is set up with a business lounge, dining area, cinema room and master bedroom. Spaces are multifunctional and can be changed to fit clients preferences, with coffee tables that convert into dining spaces, seats that can recline, swivel and change direction and sofas that convert into beds.
The jet is filled with technology, including on-board Wi-Fi, a nightclub-quality sound system and electro-chromatic shades on each of the windows.
Ceiling-mounted LED mood lights help set the scene and can be adjusted to suit the time of day which can help relieve jet lag. These can also be changed between areas or to suit passengers' colour preferences.
At the rear of the aircraft, behind a wooden door, is the master bedroom. It's testament to the sheer size of this jet with its king-size bed, bedside tables and an en suite bathroom, plus a full-size shower to make refreshing at 40,000 feet a breeze.
Passengers chartering the jet are provided with Five branded pyjamas, silk sleeping masks and slippers, plus Molten and Brown toiletries.
Guests not sleeping in the master bedroom don't need to worry, as the aircraft seats and sofas can be converted to create a further seven bed spaces.
The Airbus jet features pioneering technology from the aircraft manufactures, including advanced materials that offer lower weight and fuel burn.
Following its initial construction, the customisation process for each ACJ TwoTwenty takes around nine months, said Captain Captain Serge Martinez.
“Once a client wishes to have the jet, we first add additional communication tools, navigation tools, additional fuel tanks and then when its ready, it goes to the completion centre — in this case that's Comlux — where, in about nine months, they create the entirety of the cabin.”
With private jets being some of the worst pollutants in the travel industry, Five has committed to completely offsetting all annual emission from Fly Five.
The hotel group has purchased enough nature-based carbon credits to cover 102 per cent of the jets' flying capacity for the first year. Working with a fully certifiable carbon credit programme, funds from the jet's offsets will go towards critical rainforest preservation and reforestation projects in Borneo.
Costs for carbon offsetting on Fly Five are built into charter rates for the plane.
