LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Many Las Vegas locals are used to seeing planes flying over valley skies and not necessarily hitting the road.
However, that's exactly what happened on Wednesday morning as AREA15 officials moved a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to its new home at the expanded AREA15 district.
"My first thought is of course this is something we would do. Our CEO, Winston Fisher, has great visions of what this place can be," said Pearl Verzosa, Executive Director of Marketing at AREA15. "We had an amazing team behind the move. Our project team worked for weeks and, actually, months in order to figure out the best way to get it here. We thank the city and we thank the police department for helping us get it here safely. It was definitely a big project."
The decommissioned aircraft was formerly part of the "Big Imagination" installation at the Burning Man festival.
When looking through Burning Man archives, the installation let guests:
- Check onto the plane and walking through an Insecurity Checkpoint where they can receive hugs and praise from crew members
- Fill out an Emotional Baggage Tag to let go of anything holding them back
- Share their destination, or journey through life, on a Boarding Pass
- Receive a pair of airplane wings
WATCH: Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet arrives at AREA15
The plane was disassembled into several parts. A smaller piece was transported to the site on Tuesday and the large cockpit section, which is 23 feet wide and 72 feet long, was transported on Wednesday.
The Boeing will be reassembled and become the centerpiece of the AREA15 expansion site.
"The plane will expand to about 150 feet wide so people will be able to walk through it," Verzosa said. "We kind of have some really exciting things happening inside too."
The expansion site is 20 acres and has been something in the back of AREA15 officials' minds since the property first opened.
"Expansion has always been part of the conversation and it just came to life over the past year," Verzosa said. "You can see the walls are now up so we should start to see people through here by fall."
Two weeks ago, AREA15 officials announced the new expansion was 60% leased.
"I think the businesses are extremely excited. They want to bring something different to Vegas as well as bring people into a place where families, kids, as well as adult fun can happen," Verzosa said. "We've had some really exciting responses from other groups that we're talking to so we can't wait to have 100% full."
The biggest partner for the expansion site is Universal, who is preparing to open Universal Horror Unleashed, the company's first year-round horror experience outside of their theme parks.
WATCH: Universal Studios to bring new immersive horror experience to Las Vegas
"I think that we have always talked about working with a massive entertainment organization such as Universal and they've been really amazing partners for us," Verzosa said. "It took a lot of effort from both teams to think about what the right experience would be and once it opens doors, I think you'll be able to see what they're doing."
Universal Horror Unleashed is set to open on August 14 and will feature four themed haunted houses:
- Universal Monsters
- Blumhouse's The Exorcist: Believer
- Texas Chainsaw Massacre
- Scarecrow: The Reaping
"[The concept is there's] a decrepit warehouse in Las Vegas. Ancient artifacts have been brought in and collected and their cursed energy has been contained within this warehouse," said Show Producer Sean Chung.
That story will also expand into other parts of the attraction.
"We're also going to have really unique, cutting-edge entertainment, retail and dining experiences," said Executive Producer Shelby Honea. "This really is the place where horror comes to live year-round."
Universal executives add fans won't be disappointed.
"It's going to be exactly what you want it to be, as a fan of horror, a casual fan of horror, or just looking to have a good time in Las Vegas," said Design Manager Stephen Morrison.
Other businesses that will call the new expansion site home include:
- Dolls Kill flagship store
- The Escape Game, which is an escape room
- Felix & Paul Studios' Interstellar Arc, which is a space attraction
- iFLY Indoor Skydiving
- Museum of Ice Cream
- Chilango's Tacos
- Saint Honoré Doughnuts & Beignets
"The caliber of tenants joining us illustrates the scope and scale of the transformative vision we're pioneering in Las Vegas," said Winston Fisher, partner at Fisher Brothers and Chief Executive Office of AREA15. "These concepts represent just the beginning as we continue to partner with visionary brands to shape an unparalleled destination for exploration and immersive entertainment."
Verzosa added that there are more announcements to come.
"We've got a couple of other attractions coming in. There is another ride that is happening. A lot for more art," Verzosa explained. "Something that I'm particularly excited about is parking. More parking in Las Vegas that's free is always exciting."
And as for the future.....
"We love to do things crazily big and our mission is to bring immersive entertainment to Las Vegas. We like to say that AREA15 does not exist but we do make things exist here," Verzosa said. "AREA15 is for everybody. Everyone can come here and have a good time, whether you're a local or a tourist."