Real estate tycoon Joseph Lau is the first to be publicly identified as the future owner of a 153 million US dollars Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a news report said Wednesday.

Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau, 55, head of the Chinese Estate Holdings, has placed an order for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be used as his private luxury VIP jet, the South China Morning post reported. The regular version of the 787 is designed to carry 210 to 250 passengers in its 2,404 square feet of cabin space on routes of up to 8,200 nautical miles, making a nonstop trip from Hong Kong to Los Angeles or New York possible.

Lau has made the headlines last year after he bought an Andy Warhol portrait of late Chinese leader Mao Sedong for 17.4 million US dollars. He is one of the richest men in Asia, with a personal fortune estimated by Forbes at over 2.1 billion US dollars. He is also known for its fine wine collection that contains some 10,000 bottles.

Boeing claims to have seven private orders for Boeing 787 Dreamliners for use as private jets. It is pitching this mega-business jet at wealthy entrepreneurs, especially in Asia, where business people tend to travel longer distances. Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) on May 21 announced an order of seven planes worth 478 million US dollars.

"The 787 VIP is an extremely attractive jet for wealthy and successful entrepreneurs, especially in Asia where business is conducted over long distances," said BBJ President Steven Hill, in a statement.

The first 787 jets will be produced in July.