Entrepreneur buys 60-year-old Boeing 727 near Wiltshire

Johnny Palmer, who owns Warleigh Weir near Bradford on Avon, has bought the Boeing 727 for his Skyline Park development in Brislington.

The businessman intends to place the enormous aircraft on top of stacked shipping containers as the centrepiece of Ground Force, a multi-storey development currently under construction.

It will be the second airliner Mr Palmer has installed on the same industrial estate.

The 60-year-old Boeing 727 bought for the Ground Force development. (Image: PA)

The unusual registration has caused some confusion, but Mr Palmer has bought just one plane.

The Boeing was formerly registered 2-MMTT, pronounced "two Mike Mike Tango Tango", with the "2-" forming part of the registration.

Mr Palmer said: "Yes, I've bought another plane. Just the one. People hear 'two Mike Mike Tango Tango' and ask where I'm putting the second one – the 2 is just part of the registration."

He is already well acquainted with the practical difficulties of putting a passenger aircraft somewhere it was never designed to go.

In February 2021, Mr Palmer transported another Boeing 727, known as PYTCHAir, from Cotswold Airport at Kemble to Bristol on a low-loader.

Johnny supervises work at the Ground Force site. (Image: PA)

The six-hour journey down the M5 required a police escort and stopped traffic along the way.

On the final approach, a parked van even had to be lifted out of the way before the jet could reach its new home.

The aircraft was eventually craned onto shipping containers painted to resemble clouds.

Initially intended as a private space for Mr Palmer, his family and friends, it went on to become an office, film set, party venue and Airbnb.

Now he wants to go even bigger.

"Ground Force is the grown-up version - bigger, taller and it has to earn its keep," Mr Palmer said.

The Boeing 727-76 first flew in July 1966 and was originally delivered to an Australian domestic airline.

A look inside the 60-year-old Boeing 727 bought by Johnny Palmer. (Image: PA)

The well-preserved interior of the Boeing 727. (Image: PA)

It later spent years as a corporate aircraft for American oil company Occidental Petroleum before passing through several private owners.

The Boeing made its final flight to Kemble in December 2018 and has since been stored by Air Salvage International, the same company which stored Mr Palmer's first 727.

Mr Palmer, who was born in Tasmania, said: "This one was built in 1966 for an Australian airline. I was born in Tasmania. I reckon that's fate."

Ground Force was granted planning permission by Bristol City Council in October 2025 after attracting 77 letters of support and 15 objections.

The Boeing 727 even has a bedroom among its preserved interior spaces. (Image: PA)

Plans for the unusual development include a public cafe, offices and meeting rooms, a sauna and a rebuilt Boeing 747 first-class cabin.

The newly purchased 727 will sit on top and is intended to be used for events, filming and private hire.

Mr Palmer says more than 90 per cent of the above-ground development uses waste or second-life materials.

The shipping containers are at the end of their commercial lives but remain structurally certified, while reclaimed steel is also being used.

The aircraft itself was being taken apart for scrap before Mr Palmer bought it.

"Everything in this was heading for the skip," he said.

"We're giving all of it a second life."

Work under way at Ground Force where the Boeing 727 will sit on top of stacked shipping containers. (Image: PA)

But the ambitious development has not won over everyone.

Objectors described the scheme as a "vanity project" and a "publicity stunt" during the planning process, while some neighbours raised concerns about potential noise.

Mr Palmer remains unapologetic about the unusual project.

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"Someone will call it a stunt. Someone will call it an eyesore. That's fine," he said.

"I'd rather be criticised for building something exciting than praised for doing nothing."

The Boeing is expected to make the journey from Kemble to Bristol by road, although a date for the unusual trip has yet to be confirmed.