Splurge is obviously normal thing for Russian billionaire, Alisher Usmanov. Last month, Usmanov has increased his already enormous wealth with $1,4 billion from the sale of his Facebook shares. This month he has decided to afford the new expensive toy – the biggest private jet in Russia, a wide-body Airbus A340, I guess as a reward for a previously well done job.
Uzbek-born Russian billionaire named this the long-range, four-engine craft after his father, Bourkhan. The plane is certainly biggest in Russia, and probably in 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. Bourkhan has a range of as far as 9,000 miles and can seat as many as 375 people, according to the website of the manufacturer, Toulouse, France-based Airbus SAS.
In 2011, the unit price for an Airbus 340 ranged between $238 and $275 million depending on the model. This, Usmanov’s jet could cost $500 million depending on how it’s decorated and outfitted, said Oleg Panteleyev, an editor at Aviaport.ru.
Earlier this month, the Moscow News reported that the Uzbek-born Russian billionaire spent $100 million on a new luxury yacht that includes “a swimming pool, a helicopter pad, a gym, a luxury dining room and cabins for 20 guests.” He plans to name it Dilbar, after his mother, Izvestia reported last week.
Alisher Usmanov
