Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson has entered the pop-up market. But his pop-up is a little bit different to the usual places: rather than selling pulled pork to hipsters, or clothes to fashionistas, he’s targeting the very rich, and he’s not doing it from an empty shop in a crunchy postcode. He’s selling private jets in Harrods.
The 57-year-old singer is the chairman of Aeris Aviation, which is running the store. That, however, is just one of his jet-travel related roles. He is also the founder of Cardiff Aviation, which is to develop a national airline for the East African nation of Djibouti – and he plans to set up an airline, VVB, which will operate from Cardiff.
For the Harrods store, Dickinson is not aiming at the top of the market – don’t go down to Knightsbridge in the hope of getting a Gulfstream with all the luxury trimmings. The Evening Standard reports that Aeris is selling six-seater Eclipse 550 jets, which sell for around £2.2m. As the website of its manufacturer, One Aviation, says: “The Eclipse Jet has the lowest acquisition cost of any jet on the market, allowing you to achieve jet speeds at the purchase price of a turboprop! Priced hundreds of thousands of dollars less than our closest jet competitor, the Eclipse Jet will show the world that you are being careful with your transportation budget.” It also, the website claims, “leaves a minimal carbon footprint” owing to its low fuel usage, meaning it “gives back to the environment every time it flies”. It does not, however, have a toilet.
“There are no other twin engine jets that can come close to the Eclipse in terms of cost and economy and, with a range in excess of 1000 nautical miles, it is ideal for Europe,” Dickinson said. “It is great to fly and I am excited by the future for this remarkable aircraft.”
The pop-up store will be in place in Harrods through August, and buyers will get jets that are customised with Harrod’s branding, and a $50,000 store card.
Iron Maiden release their 16th studio album, The Book of Souls, on 4 September.
