Chinese conglomerate HNA Group is being forced to reduce debt by selling assets, including the company’s “flying penthouse” often chartered by Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to media reports.
The Cambodian government chartered the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in September to fly the prime minister and his entourage to the UN General Assembly in New York, a government spokesperson told Reuters. The government also chartered the plane for travel to destinations including Brussels, Istanbul and Geneva, Reuters said.
A stock Boeing 787-8 normally lists for about $240 million. Rather than the standard 240- to 355-seat configuration, HNA built a 40-seat, $300 million “flying penthouse” that included a seven-star, hotel-style cabin with 26 lie-flat beds and fittings by Baccarat and Fendi, Reuters said.
The Asia Times quoted a monthly rental of $700,000, while industry sites state a $70,000 per flight hour cost. The aircraft was painted in Cambodian livery during the lease. Flight tracking websites indicated the aircraft flew from Phnom Penh to China on October 26, possibly as the Cambodian government’s lease expired.
