Mubasher: Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has gifted one of the world’s largest and most expensive private jets to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bin Hamad provided the Boeing 747-8, worth QAR 1.47 billion ($400 million) as a symbol of “Thani’s special love for Erdogan,” according to the Turkish media.
The airplane, which landed at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport on Thursday, was one of Qatar’s VIP Amiri Flight fleet.
The 76-metre plane can carry up to 467 passengers, to be the world’s longest passenger aircraft.
“The wide-body jet given to President Erdogan is outfitted to carry only 76 passengers and 18 crew, with the interior filled with staterooms, lounges, boardrooms, first-class seating, and even a hospital,” the National newspaper reported.
It is worth noting that the Qatari-Turkish relations became closer, especially after the quartet — the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt — boycotted Qatar since last summer.
Since 5 June 2017, Qatar has been facing outflows of foreign customers' deposits after four the Arab countries cut their diplomatic and trade ties with the gas-rich state, accusing Qatar of financing terrorism. Doha forcefully denies the charges.
