See 6 repurposed Boeing 747s with unusual second lives, from a Swedish hotel to a scuba site in Bahrain

British Airways retired its fleet of Boeing 747s in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but one was preserved as a flightless “party plane” at England’s Cotswold Airport.

Airport CEO Suzannah Harvey bought one of the decades-old jumbos for just £1, around $1.35, and converted it into an event space for weddings and birthday parties. The venue opened in 2022 and cost about $675,000 to renovate.

The rental rate is around $16,200 for 24 hours. The regular hourly rate is around $1,350.

The 747 offers myriad amenities: Guests can enjoy original cabin seats, peer into the cockpit and upper deck, and dance by the bar.

Northwest Airlines first flew the 747 in 1988, and it was transferred to Delta in 2008 after the two airlines merged.

Delta retired the plane in 2015 and converted it into the “747 Experience,” which opened as an exhibition in 2017.

It’s part of the larger Delta Flight Museum near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and is included in the $20 adult ticket. It’s $10 to just see the 747.

Delta outfitted the plane with educational material about the history of the 747 and its role in the airline’s fleet. Guests can sit in the old Delta One cabins in the nose, see the cockpit, and walk over the wing.

Delta also stripped many of the plane’s panels to reveal its skeleton, including air conditioning, pressurization system, fuel tanks, flight control cables, and miles of wiring.

UAE-based Falcon Aircraft Recycling sank the mammoth plane in 2019 to attract diving tourism in Bahrain, a Middle Eastern island nation in the Persian Gulf.

The company said on its website that it specially modified the wings for the project. Further, it was subjected to specific environmental standards, including the removal of materials that could be harmful.

The media outlet Arabian Business reported the jet was bought for $100,000 from the UAE, citing government officials.

The plane, which is about 65 feet underwater, has attracted divers from over 50 countries.

Dive Bahrain managed the sunken 747 site after its opening, but trips closed during the pandemic. As of August 2026, the company website appears to be inactive, and third-party booking sites list the dives as unavailable.

The Middle Eastern company Scuba Master, which lists a diving excursion to the 747 for about $100 per person, told Business Insider in 2025 that the tours are still paused and didn’t disclose a restart date.

Las Vegas entertainment venue Area15 took delivery of a retired 45-year-old Boeing 747 in 2025 and plans to convert it into an immersive cocktail-and-dining experience.

Neon lights, a restaurant, and a dance floor will replace the former passenger cabin. Guests will also be able to access the old cockpit and upper deck via a grand staircase, according to plans.

Area15 CEO Winston Fisher previously told Business Insider that the conversion is costing the company “millions and millions of dollars,” but did not disclose an exact opening date or admission price.

The double-decker was once a centerpiece at Burning Man, but it got stuck in the Black Rock playa in 2018 and was decommissioned. It was eventually put into storage until Area15 bought it in 2022.

The “Jumbo Stay” 747 was one of the more convenient places to spend an overnight layover at Stockholm Arlanda Airport before its owner declared bankruptcy and shut the hotel in March 2025.

Located a short bus ride from the terminal, the hybrid hostel-hotel had 33 bedrooms. There was a lounge and kitchen in the nose of the plane, and one of the wings served as a balcony with outdoor seating.

Nightly rates ranged from 450 SEK, or around $47, to 1,895 SEK, or around $200. Unique rooms were located in the wheel well and the four engines. One of the suites was inside the cockpit.

The plane first flew for Singapore Airlines in 1976. It also flew for carriers such as Pan Am, Cathay Pacific Airways, Garuda Indonesia, and the Swedish carrier Transjet before settling at Arlanda in 2009.

As of 2026, the plane remained in the same location near the terminal, but it is closed to the public.

The leading American engine maker GE Aerospace uses a 32-year-old 747 to test new commercial jet engines. Its latest project is for the GE9X, which will power Boeing’s yet-to-be-certified 777X.

Inside, there are hundreds of miles of cables as well as computer stations that collect and analyze data.

GE’s chief test pilot, Jonathan Ohman, told Business Insider at the Farnborough Airshow in July that the engines are pushed to their limits and pilots perform intense maneuvers that wouldn’t normally occur during a regular flight.

When not conducting test flights, the 747 is based in Victorville, California, about 90 miles northeast of Los Angeles near the Mojave Desert.

It has racked up more than 1,500 test flight hours during its second life with GE.