Australian millionaire spent $123,000 on most expensive flight ticket ever
- One man paid over $100,000 for the most expensive plane ticket in the world
- The Australian millionaire won it at an auction
- The ticket earned him a first-class seat on the maiden flight of the Airbus A380
Published on Jun 13, 2024 at 4:06 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves
Last updated on Jun 14, 2024 at 4:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The most expensive flight ticket ever sold wasn’t even a return.
An Australian millionaire bought two first-class seats for an eye-watering amount.
He paid $123,000 to fly from Sydney to Singapore, ultimately having to find his own way home.
But these weren’t seats on a regular flight – they were front-row seats to watch aviation history.
READ MORE: This is the world’s biggest private jet and it’s probably bigger than your house
Julian Hayward had the honor of buying the world’s most expensive flight ticket.
The millionaire placed the winning bid at an auction that was raising money for charity.
His prize was two seats on the maiden flight of the Airbus A380, the biggest passenger plane ever built.
Why did the world’s most expensive flight ticket cost so much?
Singapore Airlines was the first airline to receive Arbus’s jumbo jet the A380.
To both drum up excitement and raise funds for charity, the airline auctioned off tickets for its inaugural flight.
The bid started at $380 and gradually jumped all the way up to $123,000.
The first-class ticket gave Hayward access to Singapore Airlines’ incredibly opulent onboard ‘suites’.
It was and remains the largest passenger plane ever made, and Hayward wanted to be a part of its history while also giving to charity.
Because it was just a one-way, however, he had to buy his own ticket home.
What made the Airbus A380 so special
The size of this jumbo jet has to be seen to be believed; even its tail is jaw-dropping to behold.
And its size doesn’t stop it from performing dangerous maneuvers with ease.
Launched in 2007, the aircraft was celebrated for its unparalleled spacious comfort, quiet cabins, and fuel-efficient engines.
The Airbus A380 could carry between 500 and 850 passengers depending on its configuration.
The only other plane to come close to its size, luxury, fuel usage, and speed is the Boeing 747, but only just.
Even its evacuation slide system is impressive.
The A380 has sunk in popularity over the years, with Airbus ending production in 2021 due to issues that included rising fuel costs and environmental concerns.
The company is currently addressing these, however, testing an ‘iron pad’ hydrogen fuel cell system.
It will be testing this new hydrogen-powered engine on an A380 in 2026.
Andie Reeves
Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.
