Palestinian twins turning aircraft into restaurant

Ramallah: Palestinian twins Khamis and Ata al-Sairafi, from the West Bank city of Nablus, are busy turning an aircraft into a restaurant.

In 1999, the twins bought a decommissioned Boeing 707 aircraft from a businessman for 100,000 U.S. dollars. They decided to turn it into an investment project.

"It was not easy to move it from Israel into the West Bank," said Khamis al-Sairafi, the 60-year-old father of seven, adding that "we faced a complicated process, especially as we needed to move the plane."

Under the coordination between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, the transportation process of the aircraft took about 13 hours. First, the officials closed all key roads to allow the plane to be rolled on a giant truck. Then, its wings were temporarily detached from the body until they arrived in Nablus.

"It was a historic event," Ata al-Sairafi said. "It arrived in Nablus at 4 a.m. while many people were waiting for it in the streets."

However, their plan to open an aircraft restaurant was hindered by the Second Intifada in 2000. Yet, the twins never gave up their dream.

"All the time, we feel as if this plane was one of our sons. So we kept and maintained it for it to become operational when it is time," the twins said.

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to the deterioration of tourism sector in the West Bank, the twins made up their mind to open the restaurant for "people looking forward to restoring their normal life."

The twins removed all the seats of the aircraft and paved the cabin with wooden floors and put the wooden furniture in the plane's body, which is still being decorated.

Because of the limited cabin space, the kitchen is located in the open area below the plane.

According to the twins' plan, restaurant employees will wear like flight attendants, and a children's amusement park will be built near the plane. They also plan to set up a venue for weddings.

"Finally, I will open the doors of my restaurant for people to enjoy their time inside the aircraft," Ata al-Sairafi told Xinhua.

Now, the twins have opened a small cafe under the plane, serving sandwiches, some drinks and hookahs.

Although the restaurant has not been officially opened, some customers have already arrived, taking photos in front of the plane.

Omer Khamisi, a 35-year-old young man from Hebron City, praised the idea of such a restaurant, saying it would help revive people's life in the Palestinian territories.