Normally landscaping the front garden might take in a fountain or two, maybe a couple of statues, something nice and ornamental. But Dutch hotels group Corendon had a more eye-catching centrepiece in mind … a complete Boeing 747-400.
And in a monumental feat of transportation beginning on 5 February, the former KLM aircraft, named City of Bangkok, will begin her final long haul from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to the Corendon Village Hotel.
Corendon Village Hotel will be the final resting place for the former KLM Jumbo jet ‘City of Bangkok’
For this mega job, Dutch specialist transport company Mammoet has been brought in to manoeuvre the 150-ton plane in five days from the airport to the hotel, starting Tuesday evening February 5.
During its spectacular final journey after 30 years of flying, the gigantic jet has to cross 17 ditches, highway A9 and one provincial road.
In recent weeks it has undergone a major strip-down in Rome, being painted in the colours of Corendon while having all serviceable parts removed ahead of it conversion into the Corendon Boeing 747 Experience, which will open its doors in autumn 2019.
After the transport the plane will be placed in the garden of the Corendon Village Hotel Amsterdam which opened last year in the former headquarters of Sony.
With more 680 rooms, suites and apartments it is the largest hotel in the Benelux, with a clear view of Schiphol Airport.
The stripped down City of Bangkok before it gets its new colours, below
The jet arrives at Schiphol Airport to prepare for its long haul to Corendon Village Hotel, above and top of page
The “long haul” schedule
Tuesday 5 February: at 11 pm the aircraft will roll on a self-propelled trailer of transport giant Mammoet, crossing Schiphol Airport. It will leave the airport site via the Zwanenburgbaan and will be transported over the meadows towards the Sloterweg.
Friday night, 8 February: at midnight the most spectacular part of the journey begins with the crossing of highway A9 after which the aircraft will head towards Corendon Village Hotel.
Saturday night, 9 February: between midnight and 4am the aircraft will cross the Schipholweg and then make 57 traffic movements before it takes its place in the hotel garden.
Corendon is a leading tour operator, airline company and hotel chain on the Dutch and Belgian travel market. Its aviation business includes Corendon Dutch Airlines, Corendon Airlines Europe and Corendon International Airlines with a total fleet of 18 aircraft.
Corendon Hotels & Resorts offers ten hotels and resorts in the Netherlands and Turkey and on Ibiza and Curaçao.
