25 May 2004 12:56
Chelsea owner splashes out 1bn dollars on luxury plane - Russian TV
[Presenter] Oligarchs are quite literally taking off for the heavens. Despite the fact that Chukotka [Autonomous
Area], which is run by Roman Abramovich, has officially been declared bankrupt, the Russian billionaire has bought a
Boeing-767 for his personal use. This has been reported by the authoritative British newspaper the Financial Times.
Vadim Muravyev has details of the interior of Abramovich's flying residence.
[Correspondent] 350 passengers, 900 km per hour and 10,000 km without stopping at an altitude of 11,000 m. This is
the governor of Chukotka's [Abramovich's] new toy. Its owner will only receive it when it has been equipped
with a shower cubicle, plasma screen televisions and a Jacuzzi. It will also be fully equipped with a living room,
several bedrooms, a conference room and an anti-missile system, no less.
All the furnishings and fittings will be made of mahogany and gold. A gentleman's kit for a self-respecting
oligarch. For him [Abramovich], buying an airliner is a more serious and expensive matter than football [Abramovich is
owner of Chelsea Football Club]: 1bn dollars.
There are only two such planes in the world. The other is used by US President George Bush. The head of the White
House will have to give his back at the end of his term, but Abramovich will keep his. [Passage omitted: Audit Chamber
to pass investigation of Chukotka over to Prosecutor-General's Office]
[Video shows Ryanair plane and US president's plane, Abramovich at Chelsea Football Club, Bush on steps of
plane]
[Centre TV] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
