A father and son pair has come out with the craziest idea to set up what they believed to be the first ever airplane hotel in Kuantan jungle.
Started 3 years ago, the hotel which is made of a Boeing 737-400 aircraft, is expected to complete by early next year.
Kevin Young Thien Sheng, 30, the person behind Pahang’s Time Capsule Retreat, said the aircraft was purchased from an airline by his father, Young Yeong Long, 61, and was recently transported to Sungai Lembing.
Since the plane had exceeded the service period and about to be disposed of, the duo decided to make use of the plane by turning it into a 5-room hotel in the jungle.
“The hardest task is to bring the plane from Selangor to here. We have to cut it to a few parts, hire five trailers and two cranes to lift the aircraft in early May,” Young said as quoted by Bernama.
The transferring from Selangor to Sungai Lembing took around 2 months as the pair tried to ensure that the process did not disturb the traffic flow, especially along the Federal Highway.
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“The most exciting part was when we were entering the Sungai Lembing area, the news spread so fast and the crowd was queuing along the street to see the plane for themselves … the atmosphere was so festive, almost like a party,” he said.
Young refused to reveal the amount spent on the project, only saying that it was “very expensive” and they had to adhere to very strict procedures.
Out of the entire 36.57 metres (120 ft) aircraft, Young decided to build only 5 rooms to ensure maximum comfort for guests and he planned to retain the cockpit area for visitors to have lasting memories.
“Some say it’s cheaper and easier if we just construct a plane-shaped building, but I don’t want that as it is not the same compared to using a real aircraft,” said the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology graduate.
“We place this aircraft in the jungle area because we want it to blend with the nature concept for visitors to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city,” he added.
According to Young, the hotel brand has been registered with the Malaysia’s Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) to protect the its uniqueness.
