New England Patriots become first NFL team to buy their own plane

The New England Patriots have become the first NFL team to buy their own plane—two Boeing 767s, in fact; one for regular use and one as a backup.

The team had the wide-body jets, which can fly nonstop for about 12 hours, retrofitted with all first-class seats, some of which recline completely. At least one of the planes has the Patriots logo along the fuselage and five Lombardi trophies painted on the tail.

Photo via ESPN

The cost of each was probably around $10 million, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell.

Why do the Pats need their own mini-fleet? Major carriers are starting to retire rather than fix up the larger aircraft that NFL teams need for their away games, driving up the cost of chartered flights.

To help defray the tags of the 767s, the Pats will actually rent out the planes when the team doesn’t need them. Know any truly diehard fans?

• Patriots become first NFL team to have own planes [ESPN]