Fly on the McPlane: McDonald's Opens 20-Seat Restaurant on Vintage Aircraft

Order a burger and take-off at this McDonald's in New Zealand. 

A grounded passenger plane in New Zealand has been converted into a McDonald's restaurant. The decommissioned aircraft is a Douglas DC-3 and was one of three used by New Zealand’s South Pacific Airlines from 1961 to 1966.

Now a place to eat burgers and fries, the aircraft has seating for 20, and was repainted silver and the Ronald McDonald red that we all know so well. The engine has been removed, so the plane no longer flies,  but diners can still enjoy the authentic cockpit. 

The McDonald's restaurant cockpit. 

Scratch the jet bridge—the only way to board this plane is to walk through the restaurant and use the stairs near the tail of the aircraft. The seat belts have been removed, but that’s no problem considering you won’t be encountering turbulence. 

Every seat is a window seat on this McDonald’s plane. (Photo: Hotspot Media.)

The real question is—how did the plane get there? In an interview with the Daily Mail, the restaurants owner, Eileen Byrne says, “The site was previously part of a car dealership, the Aeroplane Car Company, and the owner bought a disused DC-3 plane, which sat alongside the building. And when McDonald’s purchased the site in 1990, the aeroplane came with it.”

So the next time you land in New Zealand, fly on over to the golden arches and order yourself a Big Mac. You gotta admit, it’s definitely better than peanuts.