The Story Of Roman Abramovich’s Former Private Jet: A Flying 767 Mansion

Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, formerly had one of the most costly private jets in the world. It was a Boeing 767-33AER, and it had a gold-gilded banquet hall in addition to the same anti-ballistic system as the VC-25As that are employed as Air Force One. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and learn how this one-of-a-kind and the magnificent airplane came to be.

This rogue actor

Recent articles have focused on the private jet collections of Bill Gates, creator of Microsoft and now a prominent philanthropist, and Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. The moment has come to take a more in-depth look at the private jet that used to be the preferred mode of transportation for a high-profile sports franchise owner who is also worth a billion dollars.

Roman Arkadyevic Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club and a Russian-Israeli businessman, used to own a customised Boeing 767-300ER with a worth of $170 million. It was the crown jewel of his private fleet. Because of the distinctive slanting black stripes that can be found by the window of the cockpit, it is known as “The Bandit” even though it is officially designated as “P4-MES.”

It was constructed in 2003 with the intention of being used by Hawaiian Airlines. Despite this, Hawaiian ultimately decided to cancel the order, and Abramovich purchased the plane the following year (2004). The private air charter business Global Jet Luxembourg, formerly known as Silver Arrows, is the one in charge of its operations. Leasing is the primary mode of transportation for Global Jet’s fleet of private aircraft, which includes Airbus A319s, Boeing 737s, and one private Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliner.”

The P4-MES is not only one of the most secure planes in the area, but it also has a dining hall that can accommodate thirty people. It has been alleged that an anti-missile system comparable to the one installed on the Boeing 747s that serve as Air Force One has been installed on the Boeing 767. By interfering with the navigational systems of any prospective approaching missiles, this shields the aircraft from assault from the ground as well as from other aircraft in the air. In addition to this, it disrupts the radio transmissions of hostile forces.

Gold-plated fixtures and a fully-equipped kitchen

Andrew Winch, a British yacht designer, is the brain behind the cabin concept for this aircraft. It has gold accents throughout, including the chestnut furniture, the full kitchen, the office, and of course the bedroom with the double bed and the own bathroom. The aircraft can reach a cruising speed of 850 kilometres per hour and is propelled by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines.

Despite the fact that the aircraft was already rather outstanding, Abramovich recently made the decision to improve this component of his private fleet. According to information provided by Simple Flying This resulted in him trading in the 767 in December 2021 for a magnificent private Boeing 787 Dreamliner equipped with 50 seats. This special aircraft, which has the registration number P4-BDL, is flown by Global Jet Luxembourg as well.

Not the first Boeing jet owned by Abramovich

However, the very first Boeing jet that Abramovich ever purchased was a 737-700. It was decided that the business class cabin of this aircraft would be the best alternative for travelling to the remote Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, which is the furthest eastern federal administrative unit in Russia. Abramovich served as governor of this region from 2001 to 2008.

According to reports, it was a part of a settlement that was struck during Abramovich’s divorce from his second wife, Irina, who was a former flight attendant. According to information obtained from ch-aviation.com, the aircraft has been given the new registration number N950TR and is being flown for the benefit of self-help guru Tony Robbins by Silver Air. Presently, it is somewhat older than 22.5 years old.

The “flying house” that Abramovich owns frequently appears on lists of the most costly private aircraft in the world, which is most likely appropriate for a person with a net worth of $15.22 billion and a plane that costs that much. One can only speculate about the capabilities of private aircraft such as the A380 owned by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, when one considers that this almost certainly places him in the top 100 wealthiest people on the planet.

A period of unpredictability for his fleet

It is difficult to obtain tracking data regarding the current whereabouts of the old 767 owned by Abramavich, designated P4-MES. According to the data that was provided by RadarBox.com, the very last time it travelled from London Stansted to Basel was on February 25 of this year. This information is what we have. During that month, it totaled just under 17 hours spread out over three separate flights.

FlightRadar24.com shows that P4-BDL’s flights this year include round trips from Moscow to Riga (January) and Dubai. The data for P4-BDL is somewhat more publicly available (March). A greater degree of unpredictability surrounds Abramovich’s private Gulfstream G650ER plane, which is designated LX-RAY. This is due to the fact that it is one of 100 aircraft that are effectively grounded by the United States, as revealed by Simple Flying one month ago.

What are your thoughts on the former Boeing 767 owned by Roman Abramovich? Which do you like better, this or his more recent 787? Leave a comment below telling us what you think about this topic.