Dhaka: A decommissioned British Airways plane is on its way to a very fun-filled future as it has been transformed into a unique event space for hire at an airport in the UK.

Suzannah Harvey, Chief Executive of the privately owned Cotswold Airport near Kemble in England, bought the Negus 747 for USD 1.30 back in October 2020 and spent 14 months converting it into a trendy "party plane", with rates starting at about USD 1,300 an hour.

Harvey said, BA allowed Cotswold Airport to choose from its fleet of retired 747s, and they opted for an iconic Negus. While much of the aircraft looks the same, including the livery and the cockpit, the economy section has been completely stripped out to create a party room and the galley has been restyled into a bar.

In addition, the entire plane has been rewired with custom lighting in order to replicate the original onboard system while on the ground, as well as mains power.

The ceiling panels in the economy section have been removed, along with the central luggage compartments, providing a better view of the inner workings of the aircraft, which first entered the British Airways fleet in February 1994, and took its last passenger flight on April 6, 2020.

The makeover has cost nearly USD 671,000. However, Harvey pointed out that around USD 268,000 of that was spent on putting in a new concrete pad, and USD 107,000 on rewiring costs.

Although the work took far longer than expected, partly due to delivery issues as a result of the pandemic, the aircraft turned event space is finally ready to welcome guests. Its official launch will take place in late February.