Socialite says he bought out entire flight to travel privately

Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A wealthy Indonesian man who shared photos from a plane where he and his wife were the sole passengers said he bought all available tickets for the flight to prevent exposure to COVID-19.

Richard Muljadi, a Jakarta-based socialite famous for his extravagant lifestyle, posted a series of photos to his Instagram story showing he and his wife traveling alone on a Batik Air flight from Jakarta to Bali.

Muljadi said he bought as many tickets as possible for the flight -- which boasted 12 business class seats and 150 economy class seats -- because he and his wife, Shalvynne Chang, were "super paranoid" about being exposed to COVID-19.

He did not disclose how much he paid to keep the flight private, but he wrote the amount was "still cheaper" than chartering a private plane.

The Lion Air Group, which operates Batik Air, confirmed Muljadi and Chang were the only passengers on the flight. The company said Muljadi had only booked two tickets in his name, but it was unclear whether he had purchased other tickets in a separate booking.