11 Of The Most Expensive Celebrity Private Jets
If you have more money than you know what to do with and a very busy schedule, there's one must-have purchase that entices everyone from social media influencers to oil tycoons — the private jet.
Buying any private jet will require very deep pockets, as prices start in the millions for even the smallest examples, but some celebs aren't satisfied with a basic jet. In a bid to match their extravagant lifestyles on the ground, they purchase planes with lavish interiors and expensive customizations, essentially turning their jets into mobile hotel suites for themselves and their entourage.
It's worth noting that actually purchasing a jet is only one part of the equation –- owning it and keeping it running is an entirely different matter and will usually require millions of dollars more on top of what they've already spent. It can be hard to wrap your head around the mind-boggling sums of money needed to keep these ultra-luxurious private jets in the air, especially when you find out how much certain famous faces paid for them in the first place. Here are the most expensive private jets owned by celebrities.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z — $40 million
Beyoncé and Jay-Z, one of America's most famous power couples, have a combined net worth of more than $3 billion, with Forbes estimating that the former is worth $540 million while the latter owns assets worth a staggering $2.5 billion. With that kind of money, the pair could afford to treat themselves to almost any private aircraft they wanted, but their Bombardier Challenger 850 is relatively modest in celebrity terms. Beyonce reportedly purchased the plane in 2012 for $40 million as a gift to her husband.
The couple continues to use it over a decade later, recently being spotted arriving in Dubai for the opening of a new hotel. Jay-Z also has access to another jet, which he reportedly acquired as part of his deal with Puma, leaving both husband and wife able to fly to engagements in different parts of the world at the same time if needed.
Jeff Bezos — $65 million
As one of the richest men in the world, it's no surprise that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has multiple private jets. Two of those are Gulfstream G650ER aircraft, each with a base price of $65 million. Depending on customizations, it's possible to spend significantly more than that figure, although Bezos has remained private about exactly what unique features his two jets have received. The jet is a favorite among the world's wealthiest celebs, particularly tech billionaires, it seems, with Elon Musk owning a similar example.
Although Bezos hasn't publicly shown off the interior of his Gulfstreams, the base-spec plane features seating for up to 17 passengers and sleeping space for up to seven, with a separate bedroom available alongside a dining room and meeting space. A kitchen and galley are also standard, with luxuries like a built-in wine cooling rack to store a selection of the owner's favorite bottles.
Bezos reportedly uses the jet to travel between different Amazon facilities across the world to conduct inspections, as well as traveling for personal use. Notably, Bezos doesn't own either of the Gulfstream jets directly but rather through a holding company. Amazon is notorious for paying as little tax as possible, so it's safe to assume that this arrangement is also for tax purposes.
Oprah Winfrey — $70 million
A key part of the appeal for celebrities who buy private jets is that they don't have to deal with the hassles of flying commercially, even if flying privately can greatly increase the cost of each flight. Oprah made her decision to purchase a jet five years into her eponymous show after waiting for a commercial flight and being harassed by a woman at the airport who insisted on hugging her like the host famously did to her guests on TV. The incident convinced her that buying a jet would be worth it, so she bought a Gulfstream G4 for $25 million the next day.
Since then, she's upgraded her fleet to include a Gulfstream G650, with an estimated value of around $70 million. She had it delivered in 2016 and sold her previous plane, a G550, shortly after. Since her net worth is now reportedly around $2.5 billion according to Forbes, it's unlikely she'll have to worry about going back to flying commercially anytime soon.
Bill Gates — $70 million
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is not your average tech billionaire. At one point the world's richest man, Gates has spent billions of dollars investing in green technology, including carbon capture technology which aims to pull carbon dioxide directly out of the air and store it underground. To say he's environmentally conscious would be an understatement -– he's quite literally spent the GDP of a small country trying to find ways to limit climate change. That's what makes his ownership of a total of four private jets so confounding.
He's claimed that he's not a hypocrite for owning them, as his work on carbon capture technology has more than made up for his large personal carbon footprint. He also buys cleaner "green" aviation fuel and finds other ways to offset his carbon emissions where possible. Still, owning two Gulfstream G650ER jets at $70 million apiece is hardly what most people would consider the greenest way to travel. Few details are available about the spec of his jets, but standard configurations have luxuries like hand-made leather seats and room to sleep up to 10 people.
Elon Musk — $70 million
Elon Musk joined the ranks of billionaires with a Gulfstream G650ER in 2016, and ever since then, he's made sure to get the use out of it. In fact, he used the jet a staggering 171 times in 2022, flying across the world on occasion but primarily using it to commute between the bases of his various U.S.-based companies.
Musk might be a very frequent jet user, but he has a notable dislike of anyone who tracks his jet usage, in particular Jack Sweeney, who infamously set up the "ElonJet" account on Twitter to highlight the billionaire's high mileage. Musk took issue with the live tracking of his whereabouts, claiming it threatened the safety of him and his family, but Sweeney refused to cave in, noting that the account only published data that was already publicly available.
After Musk bought Twitter in late 2022, the account was banned, but it has now relaunched on Twitter's Meta-developed rival, Threads. It has resumed tracking Musk's whereabouts, although so far, the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire hasn't provided any response to the latest developments.
Mukesh Ambani — $73 million
Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani is one of the richest men in the world, with a net worth of roughly $90.9 billion according to Forbes. He's known for spending vast sums of money on his personal possessions and owns one of the most expensive houses in the world, valued at more than $1 billion. The house has room for 168 cars and 27 floors, but due to its location in South Mumbai, there's no room to store an aircraft. Perhaps he should have taken a leaf out of John Travolta's book and built his mansion at an airport.
Despite having to deal with the crushing inconvenience of having to leave his house to access his private jet, the jet's sheer size and opulence should more than make up for the hassle. Well, his largest one, anyway –- the crown jewel in his fleet is a Boeing Business Jet, which cost a reported $73 million and features over 1,000 square feet of floor space.
As you'd expect, Ambani has his own private living quarters including a bedroom, but there's also an onboard office and room for business meetings. In addition to his flagship jet, Ambani also owns an Airbus A319 and a Falcon 900EX, both of which are significantly smaller and cheaper than the Boeing.
Donald Trump — $100 million
Former President Donald Trump recently finished refurbishing his private Boeing 757, which has been dubbed Trump Force One. Unlike many celebs who purchase their jets brand new from the manufacturer, Trump's Boeing 757 had previously been used as a commercial aircraft, with its maiden flight in 1991. It reportedly saw service for a Danish airline and later for a Mexican airline, both of which went bankrupt, leaving the plane on the open market. It was purchased by Microsoft, who converted it into personal transport for Paul Allen, a company co-founder, then it was sold to Trump for $100 million in 2011.
Since then, Trump has put plenty of his own touches on the plane, including revamping the interior with various lavish extras like gold-plated seatbelts, sinks, and doorknobs. The Trump family crest is also dotted throughout the cabin, including in the cushions that adorn the beds and couches. Trump's love of fast food extends to his meals when flying, and despite the plane featuring a fully-equipped kitchen, he reportedly prefers McDonald's meals, in part due to his fear of being poisoned.
When Trump became president, he was forced to give up his use of the jet, instead using government-certified transport, but after his term, he sent it off for recommissioning. Since Summer 2022, it's now back in the skies and often seen at his events and rallies.
Kim Kardashian — $150 million
Most celebrities aren't too keen on giving the public an inside look at their personalized private jets -– after all, for many of them, they are a way to escape from the public eye and avoid the security issues inherent with commercial travel. Of course, Kim Kardashian is not like the rest.
As a businesswoman and reality TV star, Kim Kardashian has made a very successful career out of documenting every aspect of her life, which included giving viewers of Hulu's "The Kardashians" a tour of her Gulfstream G650ER in 2022. She showed off the 10 beds available on the aircraft, so her whole entourage could get some rest while traveling between destinations, along with the predictably flashy designer furnishings throughout the jet.
As one of the world's most prominent social media personalities, Kardashian and her crew spend a lot of time on their phones, and so one of her personal requests was that every seat on the jet had a built-in phone charger. That was far from her only special request, either — by the time she'd finished adding in all of her customizations, she had reportedly spent around $150 million in total.
Drake — $185 million
Canadian rapper Drake's private Boeing 767 reportedly cost $185 million and in its regular, commercial form could seat several hundred passengers. However, the star has had his personal plane kitted out to his tastes, and in place of a regular cabin, there's now a luxurious space with plush leather armchairs, a kitchen, and multiple bathrooms. The 767 — nicknamed Air Drake — is used to take the rapper across the world on tours and for various VIP appearances, but it drew headlines in 2022 when it emerged the jet took a series of very small flights, reportedly with no passengers onboard.
In the wake of increased scrutiny of celebrities' private jet usage thanks to flight tracking bots like ElonJet, the 767's short flights seemed especially egregious. In response, Drake claimed the flights, some of which were as short as 14 minutes but emitted the same amount of emissions as the average person's annual carbon footprint, were to store the plane overnight and amounted to simple "logistics." Plenty of commenters remained unimpressed, but Drake has continued to fly around the world on the jet, which is one of the most expensive private planes of its kind.
Sultan of Brunei — $220 million
The sultan of the tiny, oil-rich nation of Brunei has become famous for his lavish spending habits and owns what's thought to be the world's largest private collection of cars, including some of the world's most exclusive supercars. Predictably, his private jet is equally luxurious and has gained the nickname the Flying Palace.
The Boeing 747 was reportedly purchased from Lufthansa for $100 million, with a further $120 million spent afterward on customization. Few pictures of its interior exist, but those that do show a cabin that looks more like the interior of an opulent five-star hotel than anything you'd usually find on an airplane.
Gold trim and pricey artwork can be found throughout, with various rooms shown that appear to be dining rooms, bedrooms, and a conference room. The exact details and layout of the plane have never been released for security reasons, but it's safe to say that the sultan's jet is palatial enough to make even the average celeb's private jet feel a little economy class in comparison.
Roman Abramovich — $350 million
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is best known as the former owner of English Premier League club Chelsea FC, but he made his fortune by investing in oil, steel, and mining companies after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He reportedly owns a collection of private jets, the most expensive of which is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner valued at an eye-watering $350 million. That jet is said to feature a spacious bedroom with a king-size bed, several bathrooms complete with marble countertops, and a dining room where business dinners can be held mid-flight.
Abramovich's previous jet also reportedly featured an anti-missile system and crew quarters for his security team, so it's likely that his latest plane features a similar setup. However, the Russian billionaire is currently unable to enjoy his latest toy, as it was seized by U.S. authorities in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich was one of the oligarchs subject to sanctions thanks to his alleged close relationship with Vladimir Putin, and so as long as the war continues, the jet will likely remain grounded and in the hands of American customs agents.