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  • Help investigating a BBJ plane needed

    Hi all! I’m a journalist and I’m trying to investigate a certain plane which is used by a president of Turkmenisan – one of the worst human rights violators and oppressors in the world. The country is now in a deep economical crisis but it seems it doesn’t concern this man who in 2019 bought a brand new VIP Boeing 737. I did some research on the topic but I’m not an aviation specialist and I need help to move further. So if you could answer my questions or point me in a right direction to look for info, I’d highly appreciate it.

    So here’s what I have.

    I started with plane’s registration number which is EZ-A700.

    On planespotters(dot)net I’ve discovered that it was originally built as a VIP plane in 2018 and delivered to a customer in September 2019. It’s type is Boeing 737-72K(WL) BBJ.

    Can you help my decipher these codes? So it’s Boeing 737, 72K – seems to be a customer number, WL means winglets and BBJ – Boeing Business Jet. Is this correct?

    Is there a way to find out what generation of 737 it is?

    How much could this kind of plane cost? I’ve tried to Google it in may ways but alas I only found preowned planes prices.

    I’m pretty sure it has a custom interior design and so it’s price could vary accordingly but at least a cost of a “basic” model would be ok to understand the possible minimum numbers.

    How much does it usually cost to maintain this kind of plane monthly?

    Thank you so much for help!

  • #2
    Originally posted by Vindobona View Post
    Can you help my decipher these codes? So it’s Boeing 737, 72K – seems to be a customer number, WL means winglets and BBJ – Boeing Business Jet. Is this correct?
    I can give a few help about those. "2K" is the customer code. "WL" stands for "winglet" and "BBJ" stands for Boeing Business Jet.

    Originally posted by Vindobona View Post

    Is there a way to find out what generation of 737 it is?
    Since this is a -700, so it is the 3rd generation of the 737 family. This type is one of the four under 737NG (NG stands for Next Generation). 737NG is still the most common type (-600/700/800/900). If you are unsure about it, it is a generation before 737MAX (MAX is the 4th generation of the 737 family).

    Im not sure about the cost but I found some online hopefully they are useful.

    See accurate, real-world operating costs for the BOEING BBJ Jets, including price, fixed costs, variable costs, and more. AircraftCostCalculator.com has detailed reports for the BOEING BBJ and hundreds of other aircraft.

    Want to fly in style with your group? The Boeing Business Jet is a top of the line corporate jet. Call for pricing & availability on BBJs in your area.


    in the first web, it says the price was US$71 million in 2010, and a passager B737 was US$89 million in 2019. From I have read, prices are not always same between each costumer.


    Hopefully it helps some

    Comment


    • #3
      Also note that on a BBJ, the inside can cost as much as the plane itself.... but it all depends what the customers asked for.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Alex - Spot-This ! View Post
        Also note that on a BBJ, the inside can cost as much as the plane itself.... but it all depends what the customers asked for.
        Really? 80 millions in interior? You can build a giant luxury mansion (including the interior) with a swimming pool and a 18-holes golf course with that. In California.

        --- Judge what is said by the merits of what is said, not by the credentials of who said it. ---
        --- Defend what you say with arguments, not by imposing your credentials ---

        Comment


        • #5

          How much does it usually cost to maintain this kind of plane monthly?



          This site can give you a pretty good understanding of the operating costs, despite it being a charter(?) resource.
          It should also include other costs such as the crew etc.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Gabriel View Post

            Really? 80 millions in interior? You can build a giant luxury mansion (including the interior) with a swimming pool and a 18-holes golf course with that. In California.
            Yes, I know those are crazy numbers but you can find such prices on variable articles. And 80 Millions isn't the highest you'll find, by far...

            Comment


            • #7
              Thank you all so much! And yes, guy likes gold and luxury so it wouldn't surprise me at all if interior design would cost as much as the plane itself (of which he has now three: two 737s and one 777).

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Gabriel View Post

                Really? 80 millions in interior? You can build a giant luxury mansion (including the interior) with a swimming pool and a 18-holes golf course with that. In California.
                The luxury mansion doesn't need to fly or, more to the point, be FAA-approved.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by ATLcrew View Post

                  The luxury mansion doesn't need to fly or, more to the point, be FAA-approved.
                  Yes, I know. But all the things required to fly are there with or without an interior. The interior just need not to interfere with that (for example, not catch fire) which, yes, makes it more expensive to some point.

                  Now, being FAA approved I think is the crux of the problem. Like a Casio calculator is $10 in Walmart but if it is installed fixed in the cockpit of a Cessna 172 it is suddenly $3000.

                  --- Judge what is said by the merits of what is said, not by the credentials of who said it. ---
                  --- Defend what you say with arguments, not by imposing your credentials ---

                  Comment

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