A retired KLM airliner has made a five-day journey in Amsterdam to its final destination, where it will become a 5D aviation experience called the Corendon Boeing 747.
The aircraft, formerly used by the Dutch national flag carrier, travelled 7.8 miles from Schiphol Airport to the Corendon Village Hotel in Badhoevedorp, where it will reside in the garden.
“Transporting a Boeing 747 (in this way), including the wings, has never happened before,” the airline spokesperson told CNN. “It’s an exciting but also very difficult project at the same time.”
After making its way across 17 ditches, the A9 motorway and a local road, the Corendon Boeing 747 will be converted into a 5D tourist attraction, allowing visitors to walk on, over, or under the plane.
A 5D aviation experience on the Corendon Boeing 747
Guests will be able to visit areas that are usually not accessible, from the cargo area to the business class kitchen and the cockpit on the upper deck.
As well as a taking a wing walk over the 30-metre-long wings, visitors can journey through the history of aviation, beginning with the ancient human desire to fly.
The highlight of the attraction is the 5D experience, in which guests can experience flying in all its facets.
The Boeing – the largest aircraft in the world until 2007 – is 64 metres wide, 71 metres long and weighs 160 tonnes.
The transport of the aircraft coincided with the celebration of the first test flight of the Boeing 747 on February 9, 1969 – exactly 50 years ago.
About 9,000 people applied for tickets to watch the plane make its journey, but only 6,000 people could attend the event.
Planes in the (theme park) news
Last month, Bahrain announced a brand-new diving experience: an eco-friendly underwater theme park featuring – among others – a submerged Boeing 747.
The park is planned to be open by the summer and the 70-metre Boeing 747 will be its centrepiece. It is reportedly the largest aircraft ever submerged.
Elsewhere, Chubu Centrair International Airport in Japan has opened an “airport theme park”.
Flight of Dreams includes high tech immersive activities and F&B centred around the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The attraction is in two parts: Flight Park and the Seattle Terrace.
Corendon Hotel and Resorts says the Corendon Boeing 747 Experience will open to the public in 2020.
