The true story of how a Lockheed L-1329 went from ferrying members of a crime syndicate around North Africa to its eventual seizure could have made a probing Netflix miniseries about international drug smuggling.
Instead, Wales-based proprietor Jacob McCarthy, 28, acquired the ‘70s-era luxury private jet—which he claims had been owned by cartels—to be the swanky and dangerous cohort for his hotel park of aircraft-themed suites.
“We heard from the dealer about a jet that had just been reclaimed from North Africa after being sat for decades,” Mr. McCarthy told The Epoch Times. “After hearing the story of how it was seized from a cartel and organized crime group, the plane drew us in with its mysterious history.”
Couched cozily in its new home in Wales, near a popular coastal destination with golden beaches and blue waters, the posh aircraft-turned-Airbnb conjures a shade-wearing, leisure-suited cast starring young Al Pacino.
“You’re transported,” Mr. McCarthy said, describing his underworld salvage “with the huge original leather seats and sofas, brass and walnut trim, and a beautiful beige suede lining.”
At the plane’s aft, beverages are served on the rocks at the original bar and serving area. There is an elegant lavatory. It might not match Tony Montana’s mansion in extravagance, but—hey, it’s an airplane.
But that’s not all it has, either.
“A few more steps and a secret door transports you into a large extension with [a] tropical flower wall, king-size luxury bed, and TV,” he said.
Sometimes a story about someone’s murky past is better left in the past, and that may be so for JetStar. Some things Mr. McCarthy would not divulge to us, such as how much he paid for it. But how it came to be an Airbnb had a lot to do with escapism, he said, wanting to “give people experiences they wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.”
By the time he found her, scavengers had already picked the engines out for recycling, and the wings had to come off because of transportation laws, but all the rest stayed the same.
“We’ve simply cut the tail off and added an extension to it with king-size bed and rear exit,” he said, admitting that the revitalization costs were around 50,000 pounds (around $65,000). “The plane has the original water closet facilities, bar, seating, tables, and yokes in the cockpit.”
It took his team weeks to transport the jet the hundreds of miles from North Africa to Wales, he said, mostly hauled via truck and escort.
“Our logistics team did an amazing job of getting the plane here safely before we had to crane the whole jet over multiple other units we have and into place,” he said. “The jet opened just before the outbreak of COVID.”
In parting, he conjures a scene from “Goodfellas” (Joe Pesci and the boys playing cards in a smoky hideout): “The coolest thing has to be sitting back in the fuselage’s main area, sat back in the comfy chairs, cocktail in hand from the bar and chatting with friends. It really is an escape!”
