Plane crazy? May 'touchdown' for Boeing 767 in Enniscrone

AN entrepreneur is set to make a huge splash next month by having a Boeing 767 aircraft lifted from a barge onto the beach at Enniscrone.

David McGowan plans to turn the shell of the giant aircraft into 'glamping' accommodation.

And the cockpit area will be open to inspection by members of the public.

Mr. McGowan, an undertaker by profession, based in Ballina, revealed today (Tuesday) that he has pencilled in Friday, May 6, as the arrival date for the aircraft in its new, highly unusual seaside home.

“It will depend on weather and sea conditions,” Mr. McGowan told Midwest Radio. “We will be bringing the plane down on a barge from Shannon in a sea journey possibly lasting 22 hours.”

Initially it was hoped to bring the plane on to the pier at Enniscrone but that won't be possible due to the proximity of the local bathhouse, which is internationally famous.

According to Mr. McGowan, the whole project has generated huge excitement, with thousands worldwide emailing to find out a precise date for the landing as they would like to witness the hugely unusual spectacle.

The fuselage of the 767, a decommissioned Russian aircraft, will convert to eight bedrooms, Mr. McGowan stated, and will form a glamping complex which will also include disused double decker buses, train carriages and black 'London' taxis.