Sultan of Brunei surprises everyone as the royal himself flown the aircraft on its journey to New Delhi, considered rare for a head of state who is one of the world’s richest persons.
According to a Mailtoday report on Friday, RPN Singh, the minister of state for home and officials of the external affairs ministry waited to receive the Sultan of Brunei, a husky voice sought the air traffic controller’s clearance for the aircraft to land.
The welcoming party could hardly believe what it saw: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussulam himself emerging from the Captain’s seat to attend the Indo-Asean meet in New Delhi.
The Sultan bought a brand new Boeing 747 for at least 550 crore and had it fitted with a special interior with features such as wash basins of solid gold and Lalique crystal at an additional cost of some $ 120 million ( ` 654 crore). The aircraft is furnished with gold- plated furniture and is believed to be one of the world’s most luxurious aircraft.
Old timers recalled that the Sultan had captained the aircraft on his previous visit to Delhi in 2008 as well.