An Ex-Singapore Airlines A380 will get a new lease of life with the Portuguese Charter specialist, Hi Fly (5k/HFY).
The Super-Jumbo was returned to aircraft lessors Dr Peters Group in November 2017 and the company had struggled to find a 2nd user market for the type. Interested parties were rumoured to include British Airways but the industry as a whole went lukewarm on the European built aircraft.
That is until Hi Fly decided it wanted to add the type to its fleet of specialist long-haul aircraft which already includes Airbus A340 and A330 types.
Hi Fly tweeted a picture of an A380 mocked up with the Hi Fly livery and Maltese registration, indicating that the Super-Jumbo will be operated by Hi Fly’s Malta division, Hi Fly Malta (5M/HFM). Hi Fly Malta currently operates 7 Airbus A340 aircraft.
The aircraft is currently configured in a three-class layout seating 525 passengers but Hi Fly says it wants to operate the aircraft with a luxury cabin configuration.
The aircraft, which has been stored at Toulouse, will be checked over and serviced before being sent for paint once Hi Fly officially takes on the aircraft. The airline plans to acquire a second A380 later in the year.
In a post on Twitter, the airline said “Hi Fly is taking delivery of its first Airbus A380, the world’s largest and most spacious airliner. The arrival is a major event for the Company, making it the 1st Portuguese and the 4th European airline operating the model.”
Hi Fly is currently operating for several airlines including low-cost, long-haul specialists, Norwegian.com.
Hi Fly is taking delivery of its first Airbus A380, the world’s largest and most spacious airliner. The arrival is a major event for the Company, making it the 1st Portuguese and the 4th European airline operating the model. #Hifly #hiflyairline #a380 pic.twitter.com/JQpLUO8Sx4
— Hi Fly (@hifly_airline) April 5, 2018
