How Arab Playboys Fly Their Supercars Into London On Chartered Cargo Jets

With its wheels firmly held in place, a Mercedes-Benz prepares for transport aboard a cargo plane. 

In similar fashion, supercars ranging from Ferraris to Lamborghinis take to the skies each year as rich Arab playboys bring their vehicles from the Middle East to London, usually for just a few weeks over summer.

The car owners, many of them from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait, will happily pay a small fortune - in excess of £20,000 for a return journey - for their metal marvels to be flown around 3,000 miles, and often leave them parked up on the streets of Knightsbridge. 

Qatar Airways is one such airline that ships the luxury cars from Doha to Heathrow. Secured to the floor of one of their Airbus A330s, the precious cargo can either be accommodated in a single row or in a side-by-side configuration.

Using their main and lower deck, the airline offers 31 positions on each flight.

Daniel Hallworth, managing director of Dan Car Logistics, which specialises in air freight, told MailOnline: 'The Arabs often use agents to arrange their cars to be flown to the UK - and some of these guys can have two or three cars that they bring over for just one month.

'Once here, they can legally drive it for up to two months.

'A lot of them tour - so they may come to London for a bit and then truck their vehicle to much sunnier places like Marbella to extend their fun.' 

Mr Hallworth, whose company is based in Manchester, said that a car such as a Ferrari or McLaren can cost up to £5,000 to transport each way, while a Bugatti Veyron would be about £6,000 per journey.

Larger cars, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom or 4x4s, cost from £7,000 to £12,000 return. 

A fleet of some such supercars have descended on south-west London - many owned by sons of sheikhs to escape the Middle East's baking mid-summer months.

Among the outrageous wheels parked on Sloane Street were a £50,000-plus blue Ferrari 456 Italia which had been given a customised spider-web wrap by its Qatari owner and an orange McLaren - yours for around £165,000.

The vehicles spotted in central London over the past few weeks - following the end of Ramadan - often attract the attention of tourists and car enthusiasts, who are intrigued by the tailor-made versions of famous models from car manufacturers including Lamborghini and Bentley. 

Once they arrive, some of the over-the-top autos attract the attention of the police too - due to incorrect registration plates and insurance or parking regulation breaches.

Residents in affluent Knightsbridge have complained that some drivers are allegedly behaving in an anti-social manner, revving the cars and treating the exclusive area as their personal racetrack - although there is no suggestion any of the cars pictured are being investigated by the police.