Jumbo Stay

The aircraft at Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, in 1981

Jumbo Stay is housed within a preserved Boeing 747-212B.[1] The 747 was built for Singapore Airlines, and entered service in 1976 under the registration 9V-SQE. In 1984, it was sold to Pan American World Airways, for which it flew until 1991 as N727PA Clipper Belle of the Sky.[1][2][3] Later, it operated for Cathay Pacific Airways, Garuda Indonesia, and others.[4] Its last air operator was Transjet, a Swedish charter airline based at Arlanda Airport that went bankrupt in 2002.[5]

The aircraft was subsequently acquired by Oscar Diös, who had previously run a youth hostel in Uppsala.[1][5][6] Diös was developing a concept of running hostels inside many different objects, including boats, trains and lighthouses. When he found out that a retired aircraft was for sale at Arlanda Airport, he decided to try setting up an airport hostel inside it, as there were no hostels or budget hotels nearby.[2][7] In December 2007, the municipality of Sigtuna granted him a building permit to establish a hostel within the aircraft, at the entrance to the airport.[1][2]

Following a restoration that began in January 2008 and cost the equivalent of more than US$3,000,000, the aircraft was towed in Summer 2008 to its new permanent location,[1][2][8] on a grass-covered mound just outside the airport's perimeter.[9] Its interior had been almost entirely changed, including by the removal of 450 seats.[2][10] However, a selection of its features, such as the flight controls and some of the original seats and windows, had been retained.[10]

At its permanent site, the aircraft was mounted on a concrete foundation, and its landing gear was secured in two steel cradles.[1] Additionally, a set of metal stairs and a lift were installed at its main entrance on its left side.[4]

The owner began taking bookings in late 2008, and officially opened the transformed aircraft as "Jumbo Hostel" on 15 January 2008.[4][9] He also named it "Liv", after his daughter.[1][7] Since then, the business name has been changed to "Jumbo Stay".[1][6]

In mid-2022, a video about Jumbo Stay published by an American travel website, The Points Guy, went viral on TikTok. By 11 July 2022, the video had racked up more than 124,000 views and over 10,000 'likes'.[8]

^ a b c d e f g h "Information & History". Jumbostay. Retrieved 11 July 2022. ^ a b c d e Sargunaraj, Wilbur (15 July 2022). "How to spend the night in a Jumbo Jet Engine". Wunderflug. Retrieved 12 August 2022. ^ Steele, John. "Names of the Pan Am Clippers 1934 to 1991 By Manufacturer and Model" (PDF). Panam.org. Pan Am Historical Foundation. p. 21. Retrieved 12 August 2022. ^ a b c Smithson, Ben (21 June 2022). "What it's like sleeping in the cockpit of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet hotel". The Points Guy. Retrieved 11 July 2020. ^ a b Shardlow, Ju; Floyd, Charlie (8 February 2019). "We stayed overnight in a Boeing 747 converted hotel — here's what it was like inside". Insider. Retrieved 23 July 2020. ^ a b "STF Arlanda/Jumbo Stay". Swedish Tourist Association. Retrieved 11 July 2022. ^ a b "Tight squeeze at Jumbo Hostel". Stuff. AAP. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 11 July 2022. ^ a b Khalil, Shireen (11 July 2022). "Wild Jumbo Stay Hotel plane transformation goes viral". news.com.au. Retrieved 11 July 2022. ^ a b Ritter, Karl (4 January 2009). "A cozy hostel in converted jumbo in Stockholm". The Seattle Times. AP. Retrieved 11 July 2022. ^ a b Corbett, Kelly (26 February 2020). "You Can Spend the Night on This Out-of-Service Boeing 747 Jet, Which Is Now a Chic Hostel". House Beautiful. Retrieved 23 July 2020.