747 Hangar

PenguinCube developed the experience brief, thematic requirements and user journey for 747 Hangar in Oman, a purpose-built aviation exhibition centred around the former Royal Aircraft of the Sultan of Oman, the Boeing 747SP ‘Sohar’. Commissioned by Oman Aviation Group, the project brings together aviation, Omani culture and national heritage within an immersive visitor experience designed around one of the world’s most distinctive aircraft.

The Boeing 747SP ‘Sohar’ is a rare piece of aviation history. The shortened 747SP variant went out of production more than 30 years ago, with only 45 aircraft ever produced. Its significance as a former Royal aircraft provided the foundation for an exhibition experience that goes beyond displaying the aircraft, exploring its history and connecting it to the cultural and aviation heritage of Oman.

PenguinCube’s role focused on defining the overall visitor experience, establishing the thematic requirements and mapping the user journey through the hangar. The experience strategy considers how visitors approach, discover and engage with the aircraft, creating a narrative that connects the physical scale of the Boeing 747SP with the stories, people and heritage surrounding it.

The resulting experience framework provides the foundation for a purpose-built aviation exhibition that places the ‘Sohar’ at the centre of a broader cultural narrative. By bringing together exhibition strategy, spatial storytelling and user-centred experience design, PenguinCube helped shape an immersive destination that celebrates the history of Omani aviation while giving visitors a deeper connection to this extraordinary aircraft.