As part of a significant operational development, Global Airlines And Hi Fly signed an agreement to work together on the development and maintenance of four A380s which the new airline agreed to acquire.
Hi Flywho was the first to exploit the‘A380 on the secondary market, “ will use its extensive experience” of the aircraft to work with Global to not only prepare it for entry into service, but also to help the new carrier realize its ambition of providing its customers with the best way to fly on commercial servicesas it prepares for operations, explains Global Airlines in a press release. The two organizations’ short-term focus is on the EIS and Return to Service (RTS) processes for Global’s first A380 aircraft, which is expected to begin in the coming months. However, the two companies will explore other ways to expand their collaboration, “united by a passion for flying and a shared belief in its enduring potential and appeal”.
The very recent airline Global Airlines, whose launch of transatlantic operations from London remains scheduled for spring 2024still without a destination, acquired, to the disbelief of many players in the aeronautics world, four second-hand A380s.
“This announcement has been a long time coming and I’ve said it from the start, at Global we want to work with the best and most experienced partners, and Hi Fly is exactly what we need to do that”said James Asquith, CEO and founder of Global Airlines. “The good news for us is that the team at Hi Fly know the A380 inside out and will help us invaluable with their industry knowledge in the maintenance and technical acceptance required for our first aircraft. We are proud to work with Hi Fly and I put no limits on the potential of this collaboration. » For his part, Antonios Efthymiou, CEO and responsible manager of Hi Fly, claims to be “excited (…) to guide the planes to the next important technical waypoints and, ultimately, return them to the sky, where they belong. » “Their passion for the A380 and their belief in its potential to transform the passenger flying experience is shared across our organization, from top to bottom, and it is clear that there are enormous synergies between us . »
Hi Fly is licensed to operate worldwide and currently operates 35,000 flights per year for a base of 140 airlines and governments worldwide. In 2018, Hi Fly became the world’s first single-use, plastic-free airline. Let us also remember that ACMI Hi Fly, based in Lisbon and specialized in chartering aircraft worldwide on medium to long term contracts for airlines, had not renewed the lease contract for its sole Airbus A380 in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic having wiped out demand for wide-body aircraft.
