UK-based start-up Global Airlines has celebrated a positioning flight of one of its giant A380 aircraft.
The superjumbo was ferried by the team at aircraft lessor Hi Fly from Dresden, Germany, to Beja, Portugal where it will undergo maintenance.
The recent flight was led by Commander Carlos Mirpuri and covered 1,240 nautical miles. Hi Fly is one of only 15 airlines to still operate the double-decker A380, due to high operating costs and a general move away from four-engine airframes.
READ: Three A380s set for recycling as TARMAC Aerosave and EastMerchant sign deal
Upon arriving in Beja, Commander Mirpuri remarked, “The A380 is a technological marvel. Nothing compares to it. It’s like a spaceship, and despite its impressive size, it’s as responsive as a smaller Airbus. It’s an absolute delight to fly. I’m looking forward to flying this impressive aircraft again
when it makes its debut commercial flight with Global Airlines. This marks the culmination of nearly two years of effort, with a dedicated team of experts from Hi Fly and Global working tirelessly to make it happen.”
James Asquith, Founder & CEO of Global Airlines said, “This is now the fifth flight in the Global Airlines journey and we are delighted to see the extremely qualified Hi Fly crew taking our first aircraft to the skies once again. At Global Airlines, we strive for the best in everything that we do
and having the experience of Hi Fly on our flight deck is part of that. We’ve only just begun and there will be plenty more flights in 2025 as Global and Hi Fly continue the work to take the Global aircraft around the world.”
Interestingly, the former China Southern plane is only the second A380 to have landed in Portugal. The first was 9H-MIP back in 2018, which coincidently is also now owned by Global Airlines.
The post Global Airlines’ A380 arrives in Portugal appeared first on Aviation Business News.