A former British Airways 747 bought for just £1 has been transformed into a party plane.
The aircraft is now in-situ at the privately-owned Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire, and is available to hire.
It has been remodelled into an events space to host everything from private birthday parties to product launches and corporate events.
The plane is being preserved at the site near Cirencester after BA retired its fleet early because of the travel downturn caused by the pandemic.
It was bought in 2020 for just £1 and has since been a labour of love for the airport's chief executive, Suzannah Harvey.
"I paid a pound for her, and we have a certain obligation to maintain it as is practical for public use", she said.
"The company has had to spend nearly £500,000 getting her prepped and ready here, but I think it's money well spent and it preserves her for future generations."
Most of the plane's original structure has been preserved – including its iconic Negus livery – but the bigger transformation is inside.
The economy section has been completely stripped out to create an events space and the gallery has been altered into a bar.
The aircraft has also been fully rewired with custom lighting. It took one person a week and a half to valet the entire plane.
Ms Harvey continued: "It's been a long old slog. She came into us in October 2020, and at the time I rather naively thought we'd have her up and running by the following Easter."
The Negus first entered the BA fleet in February 1994. After operating 13,398 flights – covering a distance of nearly 60 million miles – its last passenger flight was from Miami to Heathrow in April 2020.
The party space can be hired for more than £1,000 an hour. Ms Harvey said she had been inundated with enquiries, including from Netflix.
She added: "The vision has finally come to fruition, with overwhelming support from volunteers including current BA engineers and half a million pounds of investment later, Negus 747 is finally ready.
"Preserved for many years to come and future generations, Negus is the only bespoke events 747 in the world."
An app will soon be launched to enable people to book tours of the aircraft.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
