Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich used to own one of the world's most expensive private jets - a Boeing 767-33AER complete with a gold-gilded banquet hall and the same anti-ballistic system as the VC-25As used as Air Force One. Let's take a look back at the story of this exclusive and luxurious aircraft.

The bandit

We have recently covered the private jet collections of Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates and Dallas Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban. Now, the time has come to take a closer look at what used to be the private aircraft of choice of another high-profile sports team owner and billionaire.

The star of Chelsea boss and Russian-Israeli oligarch Roman Arkadyevic Abramovich's private fleet was previously a customized Boeing 767-300ER valued at $170 million. Registered as P4-MES, it has received the nickname 'The Bandit' due to its characteristic slanting black stripes by the window of the cockpit.

It was built in 2003 destined for Hawaiian Airlines. However, Hawaiian ended up canceling the order, and Abramovich bought the jet in 2004. It is operated by private air charter company Global Jet Luxembourg, formerly known as Silver Arrows. Global Jet also operates private Airbus A319s, Boeing 737s, and a single private Boeing 787-8 'Dreamliner' on a leased basis.

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Abramovich previously owned this Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Photo: Aleksandr Markin via Wikimedia Commons

Not only does P4-MES have a 30-person banquet hall, but it is one of the securest jets around. The 767 has reportedly been equipped with the same kind of anti-missile system found on the 747s used as Air Force One. This protects the plane from both ground-to-air and air-to-air attacks by disturbing the guidance systems of potential incoming missiles. It also jams radio frequencies of non-friendly forces.

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Full kitchen and gold-plating

The aircraft's interior is conceptualized by British yacht designer Andrew Winch. It features chestnut furniture, a full kitchen, an office, and, of course, a bedroom with a double bed and ensuite bathroom, all with gold trimmings. The plane is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines and has a cruising speed of 850 km/h.

However, impressive as the aircraft was, Abramovich recently opted to upgrade this aspect of his private fleet. As reported by Simple Flying in December 2021, this saw him swap the 767 for a luxurious 50-seat private Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Registered as P4-BDL, this exclusive aircraft is also operated by Global Jet Luxembourg.

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Russian businessman Roman Abramovich's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was identified by U.S. Commerce Department in June as having likely violated export controls. Photo: Stephan Tournay via Wikimedia Commons

Not Abramovich's first Boeing jet

The first Boeing jet Abramovich acquired, however, was a 737-700. The business version of this jet was deemed the perfect option for traveling to the inaccessible Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the easternmost federal administrative object in Russia, of which Abramovich was governor from 2001 to 2008.

Reportedly, it was part of a settlement reached during Abramovich's divorce from his second wife, former flight attendant Irina. Data from ch-aviation.com shows that the aircraft is now registered as N950TR and is operated by Silver Air on behalf of self-help guru Tony Robbins. It is presently just over 22.5 years old

Abramovich's flying mansion regularly features on lists of the most expensive private jets in the world, as is most likely befitting of the plane of someone worth $15.2 billion. However, when considering that just about lands him in the top 100 wealthiest individuals on the planet, one can only imagine what features planes such as the private A380 of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia may have.

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The incident occurred on a a Gulfstream G650ER. Photo: Marc Lacoste via Wikimedia Commons

Uncertain times for his fleet

In terms of what Abramavich's former 767, P4-MES, is up to nowadays, tracking data is hard to come by. What we can tell, as per statistics provided by RadarBox.com, is that it last flew on February 25th this year from London Stansted to Basel. That month saw it rack up just under 17 hours across three flights.

Data for P4-BDL is somewhat more freely available, with FlightRadar24.com showing that its flights this year include round trips from Moscow to Riga (January) and Dubai (March). Greater uncertainty concerns LX-RAY, Abramovich's private Gulfstream G650ER jet. This is because, as reported last month by Simple Flying, it is one of 100 aircraft effectively grounded by the US.

What do you make of Roman Abramovich's former Boeing 767? Do you prefer this or his newer 787? let us know your thoughts in the comments.