Summary
- UK-based startup Global Airlines has partnered with HiFly, the world’s largest Airbus widebody aircraft wet lease specialist, to accelerate the start of its operations using the A380.
- HiFly will use its experience with the A380 to help Global Airlines prepare the aircraft for entry into service and advise on operational matters.
- The partnership aims to maximize the potential and appeal of Global Airlines and marks a significant operational development for the startup airline.
Proposed A380 operator Global Airlines has partnered with HiFly, tapping into the Portuguese carrier’s experience with the A380 to expedite the start of its own operations.
Global secures a valuable partner
In what the airline describes as a “significant operational development,” UK-based long-haul startup Global Airlines has teamed up with Portuguese lease specialist carrier HiFly to tap into that company’s operational experience with the Airbus A380.
Image: Global Airlines
The partnership aims to accelerate the start of Global’s own flights using the superjumbo sometime in 2024. HiFly currently holds the title of the only airline worldwide that has operated a second-hand Airbus A380.
The signing of an agreement between the two carriers will see the companies collaborate on developing and maintaining the four A380 aircraft the new airline has so far agreed to acquire.
Photo: Global Airlines
Under the terms of the agreement, HiFly, with its previous experience of operations using the A380, will use this experience of the type to work with Global to prepare the aircraft for entry into service. HiFly will also assist the startup airline with operational expertise to advise Global on the best way to utilize its A380s once they are in service.
Who is HiFly?
HiFly, having been operating for 17 years, claims to be the world’s largest Airbus Widebody aircraft wet lease specialist, with Air Operators Certificates in both Portugal and Malta. The carrier is licensed to operate globally with its fleet of all Airbus aircraft, which includes members of the A320, A330, and A340 families.
The company operates wet lease and charter, passengers, and cargo on short-, medium-, and long-term contracts worldwide. Its customers include airlines, governments, tour operators, freight forward companies, private individuals, and the military.
Photo: HiFly
HiFly operated a single A380 in the form of ex-Singapore Airlines 9V-SKC (MSN006) between 2018 and 2020. The airline used this aircraft (re-registered as 9H-MIP) for wet lease operations worldwide until it was retired in December 2020 before being broken up for spares.
More about the partnership
According to a statement from Global Airlines, the short-term focus for both organizations is the entry-into-service (EIS) and the return-to-service (RTS) processes for Global’s first aircraft. This process is due to start imminently, with Global’s first aircraft currently sitting in storage and now reportedly registered as 9H-GLOBL.
Photo: Global Airlines
The statement adds that both parties will explore further ways to broaden the collaboration going forward so that the airline’s full “potential and appeal” might be reached.
What do the new partners have to say?
Announcing the agreement reached with HiFly, James Asquith, CEO and Founder of Global Airlines, said,
“This announcement has been a long time in the making, and I’ve said from the start, we at Global want to work with the best, most experienced partners, and Hi Fly are exactly that. The great news for us is that the team at HiFly knows the A380 inside-out and will be invaluable in helping us with their industry knowledge around the maintenance and technical acceptance required for our first aircraft – all crucial steps before work begins on introducing our new interiors and other vital elements of the Global service and passenger proposition.”
He concluded by stating that,
“We’re proud to be working with HiFly, and I place no limits on the potential of this collaboration.”
Meanwhile, speaking in response to Mr Asquith’s statement, Antonios Efthymiou, CEO and Accountable Manager for HiFly, said,
“As soon as James and his team announced Global to the world, we were delighted to be part of the continued A380 revival. Their passion for the A380, and belief in its potential to transform the passenger flying experience, is shared across our organization, from top to bottom, and it’s clear there are huge synergies between us.”
Mr Efthymiou continued,
“We are delighted to be able to share our experience with Global, steer the aircraft through the next important technical staging points, and, ultimately, return them to the sky where they belong.”
HiFly holds authorization to operate worldwide and currently operates 35,000 flights per year for a base of 140 airlines and governments on a global basis. In 2018, Hi Fly became the first single-use plastic-free airline in the world.”
The road ahead for Global Airlines
Global Airlines was launched earlier this year as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holiday Swap Group, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The airline is led by CEO James Asquith and backed by aviation experts and investors worldwide. The airline has commenced an aircraft acquisition program with four A380s already secured.
Image: Global Airlines
The airline plans to inaugurate transatlantic services from London by mid-2024, starting with services to New York JFK, followed by flights to Los Angeles later. By deploying the A380 to the United States, it will become the first new airline to take on the type outright in eight years.
Will it, won’t it?
While the airline has been actively recruiting senior personnel since its launch to the world in May of this year, public and industry opinion on the prospects for an all-A380 operator remain divided.
While many are wishing the company well on its social media channels, others remain deeply skeptical as to whether such an enterprise could ever be financially sustainable, even in the short term.
Photo: Global Airlines
Partnering with an experienced A380 operator to expedite the commencement of operations may be perceived as a shrewd move by some. However, there will be others who will perceive this as a veiled admission that Global is struggling to launch its operation with the in-house experience it has managed to attract so far and has been forced to seek the vital technical assistance it requires elsewhere.
And while HiFly may have two years of experience with the A380, it should be remembered that it operated just a single example on lease and ad-hoc contract work and not for a sustained period on its own long-haul scheduled services.
Photo: HiFly
It should also be stated that other than turning to HiFly, Global likely had few alternatives to ask for the expertise they need to get flying.
In any event, with four aircraft secured, a management team taking shape, and now with the expertise of HiFly joining the mix, Global Airlines is moving towards its ultimate goal of launching flights, But whether it can make it to the runway and finally take revenue paying passengers into the air remains to be seen.
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Source: Planespotters.net