Startup Is Flipping Recycled Airplanes Into Super-Fly Home Offices
Image via Aeropods
Digital nomads can spend all year round living or working from a plane cabin, if they so wish. A new startup from the northwest of Ireland is repurposing old commercial airplanes into home offices, glamping pods, and everything in between, taking work from home to new heights.
The idea started out as a personal project for builder Kevin Regan, as per a profile by CNN. However, when his sister-in-law posted photos of his new home office, they ended up receiving a barrage of requests from strangers. So Regan called in his business partner Shane Thornton, and together, they launched Aeropods.
Planes are indubitably hardy, what with their strong aluminum alloys and fully insulated walls, so naturally their parts are perfect for making long-lasting furniture—and offices—too. Plus, aircraft are frequently being decommissioned, with 15,000 vehicles set for retirement in the next two decades, leaving Aeropods with an abundance of materials to work with.
The upcycled pods can go for anywhere between €20,000 (US$22,000) and €37,000 (US$41,000), depending on how fancy the client wants theirs to be.
Image via Aeropods
The firm’s first project involved a defunct IndiGo airline Airbus A320 from Cardiff Airport in Wales, CNN reports. Since then, the owners have apparently received requests to build a two-in-one office and kids’ playroom, a spare living area, glamping pods, meeting rooms, bars, point-of-sale units, and bicycle shelters. Not bad for a fresh startup that has only spent €100 (US$110) on advertising so far.
The bespoke capsules still have their original window blinds that pull down to provide shade, though the overhead storage cabins are no longer intact. “Everything else including the floor is the original airplane,” Regan notes.
Image via Aeropods
The A320 glass doors are also double-glazed and insulated to keep the occupant cozy all year round.
Image via Aeropods
The offices are fully portable thanks to a built-in lifting system, which means they can be easily moved when the owner decides to relocate. Maintenance is as low as keeping a car—“just washing” is required, says Regan.
In time, Aeropods hopes to expand to England, though it’s already opened up to requests from anywhere in the world. “We can deliver these anywhere,” says the owner. “There is no limitation to where we can take them.” These were once airplanes, after all.
[via CNN and The Sunday Times, images via Aeropods]
