A $75 million private superjet operated by Bermuda’s Longtail Aviation touched down on the Island for the first time on Friday.

The massive Boeing 737 — originally built to carry more than 200 passengers — is fitted with just 26 seats and boasts a separate cabin and bathroom on board.

And the jet — available for hire at $15,000 an hour — has proved popular with high-flying businessmen, especially in the Middle East, where is spends most of its time.

Longtail Aviation CEO and pilot Captain Martin Amick said flying the jet and its VIP passengers was “wonderful — a lot of fun”.

Capt Amick declined to say who had flown on the two-year old jet.

But he said: “It’s used by heads of state, royalty, CEOs and movie stars and just wealthy people — when they travel, they want complete privacy and a state room.

“Small business jets don’t have the space for that kind of thing. That’s what makes this unique.”

Capt Amick was speaking as the jet touched down briefly in Bermuda to refuel after leaving Portugal en route to Colombia to pick up a group of businessmen from India.

From Colombia, the plane was destined for a visit to the US, then back to the Middle East.

The thickly carpeted aircraft boasts gleaming wood veneer panelling and leather and fabric seats spaced widely around the cabin, as well as the bedroom, which can double as a private lounge, with a bathroom, featuring gold-plated taps and wash hand basin, attached.

Capt Amick added that the cabin crew was used to unusual requests from clients who demanded the best.

He said: “We do get those — it’s not strange to get requests on what kind of caviar is wanted. We get very detailed requests for specific foods, served in a particular way.

“The people who fly on this plane are used to having things exactly the way they want.”

Because the plane — unlike its normal airline counterparts — does not need a huge luggage hold, the 737 is fitted with extra fuel tanks instead, giving it a much longer range than commercially-operated planes.

Capt Amick said — despite the recession — the plane was well-used by wealthy clients.

He added: “Larger countries like the US have their own transport for their head of state. Smaller countries sometimes don’t and if they want to transport a VIP, they’re not going to put them in the first-class section of an airliner.

“We have taken military officials to Andrews Air Force Base — the home of the US president’s Air Force One — and diplomats to Washington DC.”

Capt Amick said the plane could fly for 12 hours at 500 miles an hour, covering 6,000 miles.

He added the plane was in the air on average 60 hours a month — but that could easily increase on a longer trip if the plane was asked to stay on the tarmac in a destination to fly customers back home again.

The Boeing is the flagship of the Longtail fleet, which currently operates two Dassault Falcon business jets, with two more on the way.

The Boeing is owned by Hong Kong Jet, which is based in the Chinese city.

Capt Amick said that, although Longtail was the only firm operating planes out of Bermuda, there were around 500 planes on the registry.

And he explained that a Bermuda registration offered benefits beyond the highly regarded Department of Civil Aviation stamp of approval.

Capt Amick said: “There is no place in the world that is not friendly to Bermuda. When you have a Bermuda registration, you’re not a target elsewhere in the world.”

And he added: “There are a large number of Russian aircraft registered in Bermuda. They agreed to this because Bermuda is well-regarded and respected by lenders who provide the money to buy aircraft. They trust the stability and the legal system.”