Delivery of the A380, which Hi Fly bought from Singapore Airlines, also, according to aviation site
One Mile at a Time, “marks the first time that an A380 is being acquired on the second-hand market”
Hi Fly, a “European Airline specialised in Widebody Aircraft Wet Lease to other airlines and governments on a global basis”, originally announced the purchase of two A380s from Singapore Airlines last summer, and confirmed the transaction this year in April.
Last week, the Portuguese airline released the first pictures of the newest addition to its fleet after taking delivery of the first of the two A380s, somewhere outside of Portugal.
While on the outside the plane is currently painted a neutral white, and, One Mile at a Time states, it is likely to be dressed with HiFly’s livery, inside it still retains the same configuration and interior finishings as when it flew for Singapore Airlines.
But any hopes of travelling on the plane here from Portugal are about to be dashed as, according to newspaper Observador, Lisbon airport, the only airport that will be able to accommodate a super jumbo in Portugal, will only be adapted to receive the A380s from 2021.
Works on the airport to be able to accommodate the A380, such as adapting the bridges, will cost between €250 and €300 million, Observador said.
In comments on its Facebook page, Hi Fly said: “The arrival is a major event for the Company, making it the fourth European airline operating the model, the 14th global operator and the first leasing airline to fly the aircraft”.
Paulo Mirpuri, Hi Fly President and CEO said: “We welcome the arrival of the Airbus A380 in our fleet and we are extremely happy with the market reaction so far on this new availability in our wet lease product offering (…) Most important for Hi Fly, the A380 minimises environmental impact thanks to its reduced fuel burn that generates the lowest carbon footprint per seat for aircraft in its category. I recall sustainability is a top management ongoing concern, we want to continue our growth path in a responsible way, protecting our future generations”.
Hi Fly’s first A380 will be operating worldwide, with 471 seats distributed between three classes. The main deck has the First class for 12 passengers and Economy class for 311 passengers while the upper deck has Business and Economy class seats carrying 60 and 88 passengers respectively. In a high density version, the aircraft can carry up to 853 passengers. The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and luxurious cabin interiors. Each seat will have its own in-seat IFE system by Panasonic eX2, providing the passengers with great in-flight entertainment options and an optimised user experience.