The Boeing 707 defined aviation history by being one of the key catalysts for the jet age. This era saw air travel become more affordable, while jet-powered aircraft offered airlines greater ranges and higher speeds. While the 707 no longer sees regular airline usage, there are still other ways to get onboard one, such as a rather quirky restaurant!
Two decades in the making
Two Palestinian twin brothers are set to open a restaurant in the West Bank using an unlikely venue. Specifically, guests at Ata and Khamis Al Sairafi’s ‘Palestinian-Jordanian Airline Restaurant and Coffee Shop’ on the outskirts of the city of Nablus will be able to enjoy hospitality onboard an old Boeing 707. But how did this classic aircraft become a restaurant?
In actual fact, the project has been in the pipeline for more than 20 years. Indeed, the Jordan Times reports that the twins purchased the classic airframe in 1999 while working as scrap metal traders. At the time, the jet was located near Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel. They agreed on a price of $100,000 for the jet, although its owner did remove the engines.
In any case, the lack of an airport in the Palestinian Territories meant that road transport was always necessary. The twins paid a haulage company $20,000 to transport the jet on a low-loader, taking 13 hours to reach its destination. However, tensions in the area and then COVID-19 forced the twins to put the project on ice for two decades.
Now partially open
Simple Flying reported back in July 2021 that the restaurant was finally close to opening. This represents the culmination of a dream that has spanned more than two decades from the time of the aircraft’s purchase. It now appears that the first stage of the restaurant’s opening has finally taken place, according to an AP News report from August 2021.
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At this time, the site was operating as a cafe, with outdoor tables and umbrellas situated below the classic aircraft’s fuselage and left wing. Meanwhile, at the time of writing, the twins were touting September 2021 as the opening date for the restaurant part of the complex. There are nine tables inside the 707‘s cabin, and guests board via airstairs.
Another cool repurposed aircraft
2021 has been a good year for projects involving repurposed classic Boeing narrowbodies. Indeed, one of the US planemaking juggernaut’s old 727 trijets has recently been converted into an office and events space. Much like the 707 in Nablus, media company PYTCH also required a journey by road on a low-loader to get the aircraft into position.
The 727’s fuselage was so wide that it straddled two lanes on the UK’s M5 and M4 motorways. This meant that its journey from Cotswold Airport to its new home in Bristol required careful planning. However, it successfully ‘touched down’ in Bristol in February 2021. It now sits above shipping containers, where it is used for meetings and events.
What do you make of this project? Have you ever visited a restaurant located onboard an old aircraft? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
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