Boeing Co. said on Tuesday it received an order for a private 787 airplane from Hong Kong real estate tycoon Joseph Lau.
The order for Boeing’s new carbon-composite 787-8 model, which would seat up to 250 people if configured as a normal airliner, is valued at $153 million at list prices, the planemaker said.
In all, Boeing said it now has seven orders for private 787s, or “787 VIPs” as it calls them. It is pitching this mega-business jet at wealthy entrepreneurs, especially in Asia, where business people tend to travel longer distances.
It has not made public the names of other 787 VIP buyers. The first 787 is set to roll off Boeing’s Seattle production line in July and is set for its first test flight in August.
The private 787 has 2,404 square feet of cabin space, about the same as a tennis court.
The regular version of the 787-8 is designed to carry 210 to 250 passengers on routes of up to 8,200 nautical miles , making a nonstop trip from Hong Kong to Los Angeles or New York possible.
Lau is one of Asia’s richest entrepreneurs, with a net worth of about $2.1 billion, according to Forbes magazine. He holds stakes in Hong Kong property developer Chinese Estates Holdings Ltd. and department store owner Lifestyle International Holdings Ltd.
He is one of the world’s leading art buyers, setting a record for Andy Warhol purchases last year when he bought the artist’s portrait of Chinese leader Mao Zedong for $17.4 million.
Lau is also a red wine collector, reportedly owning more than 10,000 bottles.