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China’s
very first airplane restaurant was recently unveiled in Wuhan. Named
“Lilly Airways”, the unique eatery is located in the cabin area of an
old Boeing 737.
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Businessman Li Liang acquired the aircraft from Indonesian airline
Batavia Air, in May 2015, but then had to go through six months of
exhausting custom procedures in order to get the aircraft into China.
“Demounting, port, shipping, business license, trade declaration…all
these procedures were never done by anybody before, which means I had to
go through them one by one,” Li said, adding that the Boeing 737 had to
be disassembled a total of eight times in its four-month journey from
Indonesia to Wuhan, China.
Getting the plane split into parts that then had to be packed in around
70 containers and shipped multiple times apparently cost the eccentric
businessman a whopping 3 million yuan ($452,325). Add that to the 5
million yuan ($5.28 million) he paid for the plane itself and you have
one of the most expensive restaurants in the world.
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After finally setting up the airplane restaurant on the Optics Valley
Pedestrian Street, one of the busiest shopping areas of Wuhan, Li is
ready to welcome curious diners and airplane enthusiasts. The restaurant
is located in the cabin area of the airplane, and the cockpit has been
converted into a flying simulator where patrons will be able to
experience what it’s like to fly a passenger jet.
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Li said that a dinner at Lilly Airways is priced between 200 to 300 yuan
($30 – $45) per person, while the cockpit plying simulation will set
flight enthusiasts back 300 to 400 yuan ($45 – $60). Pretty steep, but I
suspect it will be a while before this place turns a profit.
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