Italian Billionaire’s Luxury Toy Is a Magnificent Floating Palace Worth $120M

Italy's wealthiest men own some of the most beautiful luxury yachts in the world, such as the eye-catching Air. Augusto Perfetti could easily be crowned the king of sweets. He owns a candy and chewing gum empire, Perfetti Van Melle, with his brother Giorgio; their combined fortune adds up to nearly $3 billion. What was once a humble business near Milan, allegedly inspired by the chewing gum brought by American soldiers to Europe during World War II, became one of the world's most successful chewing gum companies.

Like all billionaires, Augusto had to add a custom-built yacht to his luxury toy collection. In 2005, he approached one of the top superyacht builders in the world, the German Lurssen, for the construction of an opulent, 90-meter (295 feet) pleasure craft that would be christened Air. Apparently, before the yacht was even completed, a Russian oligarch fell in love with it and ended up buying it from Augusto. That yacht was renamed Ice and later purchased by the state of Equatorial Guinea.

After this twist, the Italian billionaire commissioned a different shipyard for a new vessel with the same name: Air. It was another industry giant, the Netherlands-based Feadship. Augusto's dream boat finally came to life in 2011. It was a spectacular beast of nearly 266 feet (80.7 meters) with a recognizable flared bow and a modern, sleek profile.

Like many Feadship superyachts, known to incorporate some of the industry's greatest innovations in terms of design and technology, Air was a trailblazer. More than a decade ago, commercial helicopter pads onboard superyachts weren't nearly as common as today. At the time of its launch, Air became the first superyacht complying with the Annex 2 of LY2 that flaunted a fully-certified commercial helipad. This helipad is compatible with an Airbus H135 or something similar, and it's still one of Air's main attractions.

Air continued on this innovative path even later in its career. In 2016, following a refit at one of the Feadship yards in the Netherlands, it got a new look. The new matte black color of the hull didn't just look amazing. It also incorporated a special, eco-friendly application technique based on nano-coating.
Remi Tessier Design signed Air's majestic interior style. If you look closely, you'll notice that every item onboard seems to float among clouds, thanks to the organic shapes, minimalistic design, and ultra-light color palette.

Air's interior is like a relaxation cocoon with no time or space limits. At the same time, it's highly luxurious, displaying an abundance of precious materials such as back-lit white onyx, matt-finished sycamore, and leather. The skillful interplay of natural materials with matte finishes and high-gloss metallic accents creates a contemporary look with a glamorous touch.

Everything about Air is over the top. There isn't just one, but two swimming pools onboard. The master suite isn't limited to one deck but unfolds over two of them. Even today, the gym, spa, and sauna facilities are among the most luxurious ones onboard a superyacht.

Imagine a lavish master suite that looks almost futuristic. In addition to a luxurious room's typical features, it comes with a private observation lounge. From there, the owner has an excellent view of the main deck forward area, with its stunning eight-meter-long (26 feet) contraflow swimming pool, perfect for exercising.

The second pool is an equally spacious jacuzzi located on the sun deck. Air's sun deck is like a miniature resort in itself. Guests can relax in the jacuzzi, work out in the gym, socialize in one of the numerous lounging areas, and enjoy al-fresco dining at any time. In the evening, one of the best ways to end a day of fun would be to watch a movie in the open air on the enormous pop-up screen.

At the lowest level, Air's beach club is another fun oasis close to the sea. Benefitting from a spacious, fold-down swim platform, this area is perfect for swimming or trying out one of the many water toys onboard. A total of 12 guests can enjoy the Air superyacht to the fullest, with a huge crew of more than 20 people catering to their wishes. Besides the split-level master suite, Air has an elegant VIP stateroom and five more cabins (four doubles and a twin).

Equipped with twin MTU engines, the majestic Air boasts a top speed of 17 knots (19.5 mph/31.4 kph) and can cover more than 6,000 nautical miles (11,111 km) at a lower speed.

This bespoke yacht is estimated to be worth more than $120 million, but it's not up for grabs. Anyone wanting to spend a week onboard must be willing to part with more than $1 million, which makes Air one of the most expensive luxury charter superyachts, even after a decade.