People have been climbing up the billionaire ladder, like U2 frontman Bono, thanks to Facebook going public. But Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov did not need any boost. He holds the 34th rank in the Bloomberg Billionaire Index thanks to his net worth of $15.8 billion. To this enormous wealth was added $1.4 billion from the sale of his Facebook shares last month. Maybe to treat himself for this latest splurge in his fortune, he has bought a wide-body long-range, four-engine Airbus A340-300, being touted as the biggest private jet in Russia, and maybe even Europe. Roman Abramovich owns a Boeing 767, while President Vladimir Putin uses a Russian-made Ilyushin Il-96, both of them being smaller than the A340.
Sources say that he has named this incredible craft, Bourkhan after his father. This will probably be the last Airbus A340-300 to be bought as the company has stopped manufacturing this model. This aircraft has a jaw-dropping range of 9,000 miles and a seating capacity of 375 people. Though the catalog price was $238 million, the final bill could be as high as $500 million. This would obviously depend on how the aircraft is decorated and outfitted. And considering the billionaire’s extravagant tastes, it wont be surprising if the total does actually come to such a high mark.
Usmanov infact has also commissioned the construction of a luxury yacht, named Dilbar after his mother, whose tab sources say will be around $100 million. For those of you who don’t know, Mr. Usmanov is part of the elite billionaires club by virtue of being the largest shareholder in Metalloinvest, which is Russia’s biggest iron-ore producer. He also owns shares in mobile operator OAO MegaFon, the Mail.ru Group Internet company and British soccer club, Arsenal (30 percent). I am sure many would be curious to see the final version of this private jet. Till then, you can check out the most expensive private jet.
Via: HuffingtonPost
