This summer, Hi Fly joins some of the most renowned global commercial airlines in the sector, becoming the most recent member of the exclusive A380 operators group.
With its first superjumbo acquisition, Hi Fly will be the 14th A380 operator, and the first leasing airline to fly this aircraft.
Furthermore, this decision places Hi Fly at the forefront of the aviation industry, stepping up and inaugurating the second-hand A380 market. Identifying the latent potential of the world’s largest passenger airliner, Hi Fly has decided to take the initiative and give this remarkable airliner a new life.
According to Airbus, as of March 31, 2018 there were 223 Airbus A380 in service and 13 operators. Amongst the operators, Emirates is, by far, the largest with 102 aircraft in service. After Emirates comes Singapore Airlines with 19 units in service, followed by Lufthansa with 14; British Airways and Qantas Airways both operate 12; Air France, Etihad Airways and Korean Air all have 10; Qatar Airways has 9; the three Asian operators: Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways International and Asiana Airlines have 6; and China Southern Airlines, 5.
Both Hi Fly and Airbus are extremely confident about this enterprise and what it will mean to the airline industry. In a statement to Flight Global, Eric Schulz predicts that the Portuguese carrier “will be proven right with what they can do with the aeroplane”. Optimism shared by the airline’s president Paulo Mirpuri, who earlier advanced that there is more demand for the airliner than initially expected.
The A380 is a passengers’ favourite having been voted the best aircraft type by Global Traveler readers. The double-decker aircraft boosts a strong customer appeal and it is recognized for its unmatched cabin comfort and silence, to the point where, according to Epinion, 60% of passengers state they would make the extra effort to fly on an A380.
In addition, it is important to highlight that the airline industry’s traffic growth is set to continue, with much of this development concentrated in rapidly expanding mega-cities. This results in overcrowded airports and the struggle to fulfil airline demand at peak times. With 60% more capacity per slot, the A380 enables operators to overcome this issue by replacing multiple flights on smaller aircraft with one optimised service that passengers love.
