Bunk down in a Boeing, says hostel owner

INNOVATION:TRUST THE SWEDES, creators of Saab and minimalist design, to reinvent the aircraft. A disused jumbo jet once used to ferry Muslims to Mecca is being turned into a 25-room hostel at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.

Travellers passing through the airport will be able to book rooms in the hostel so that they can sleep at the airport the night before their flight, or the night they arrive if they're too tired to travel into the city.

The bright spark who thought up the idea is Oscar Dios, a Swedish entrepreneur with hostels in Uppsala, Sweden. He wanted a location near the airport but couldn't find affordable real estate.

Then, two years ago, he noticed a dilapidated Boeing 747-200 that had been for sale in a hangar at the airport since 2002. He paid a six-figure sum for the aircraft, then invested in remodelling it.

An area near the airport's entrance has been made into a permanent home for Jumbo Hostel (www.jumbohostel.com), with concrete foundations, water connections, electricity and other amenities.

The 25 rooms inside the aircraft resemble futuristic pods, and there's even a lift. Dios hopes the hostel, which has a total of 85 beds, will attract families with children, young people and "experience seekers".

"It's a fantastic feeling to place the aircraft at its new address just outside the airport. The location is well chosen considering how easily accessible it is with your own car, taxi, public transport, by foot or bicycle or with the shuttle buses from the car parks," he said in a statement.

The hostel, which will also have an on-wing walkway and a cafe open to non-residents, is due to open for business in December.