A startup airline that wants to fly Airbus A380 planes between New York and London said it bought its first superjumbo

• British startup carrier Global Airlines said it has taken full ownership of an Airbus A380 aircraft.
• The company plans to launch transatlantic operations between the US and the UK "later this year."
• Experts have raised eyebrows at Global's business model given the A380's high operating cost.

British startup carrier Global Airlines said on Friday that it had fully acquired an Airbus A380 jet previously owned by China Southern Airlines.

The 11-year-old plane, known as MSN 120, has been sitting in storage in the Mojave Desert since December 2022, where it completed the necessary return-to-service work and was re-registered in Malta under 9H-GLOBL, the company said, without disclosing the price.

Buying an aircraft is an interesting step for Global as airlines — especially startups — typically don't go after used A380s.

"Lots of people predicted we wouldn't make it even this far, and I couldn't be happier to be giving MSN 120 a second lease of life," Global founder and CEO James Asquith said, Simple Flying reported on Monday.

"Purchasing an aircraft takes a phenomenal amount of time, and over the past year, we, with support from partners, have been putting the building blocks in place to take full ownership of the aircraft and plan its first flight," he continued.

MSN 120, however, is not the same plane that Global said it acquired back in May 2023. That aircraft, according to CNN, was registered as 9H-MIP and originally belonged to Singapore Airlines, not China Southern.

At the time, CNN reported the deal was "eight figures." It is not clear what happened with 9H-MIP. Global did not immediately respond to questions about the two different A380 planes.

Following the purchase of MSN 120, Global expects to acquire three more A380s and hopefully launch commercial flights "later this year," it said. That timeline, however, had already been delayed from this spring to late 2024, the Center for Aviation reported.

As far as routes, the airline plans to fly transatlantic between the US and the UK, starting with London to New York and Los Angeles, according to CNN.

Portuguese charter airline HiFly, with the support of Airbus, will operate the planes on behalf of Global while the startup pursues its own aircraft operator's certificate, Flight Global reported.

"The renaissance of the A380 is really the focus of Global Airlines," HiFly CCO Richard Stephenson said in a December video posted by Global. "We're going to be responsible for a huge part of that secondary market for the A380, and the second coming of the A380."

Experts have questioned Global's choice to operate the A380

James Asquith with the A380 that Global announced it bought in May 2023, which is not the same plane as MSN 120 Foto: Global Airlines

Asquith, a travel guru known for being the youngest person to visit every country in the world, founded Global in 2021.

Despite his optimism, Asquith has received criticism about the airline's proposed business plan — particularly since the A380 was not the commercial success Airbus had hoped.

The A380 is famous for its incredible capacity, but its four fuel-hungry engines are inefficient compared to twin-engine options like the Boeing 787 or Airbus A350. And experts say filling the giant plane on already heavily trafficked transatlantic routes will be a difficult task.

CEO of consultancy Hospitio, Brad Beakley, told Travel Weekly in November 2023 that "the practicality of unlimited demand, even for something like [London] Gatwick-New York, is not there."

He further noted the average cost to operate an A380 is twice that of what American Airlines pays to fly its Boeing 777-300 widebodies.

"I love the idea of something better, and I'll give him a world of kudos for being able to generate the interest and news stories, and enough interest with investors, to be able to do what he's done," Beakley said. "But the math just doesn't seem to work for me."

Asquith has rebutted the critics, emphasizing the idea of using the A380's immense size for more than just seats: "If there's not enough space in the plane, you can't justify things like social areas," he told Travel Weekly in November, noting Global will offer luxe amenities like an onboard lounge.

Simple Flying reported Global would refurbish MSN 120 but keep its China Southern seats. The Chinese carrier fit the cabin with 506 seats across three classes.

Later, aircraft will see their interiors "completely overhauled" as part of the company's version-two design, according to Global.

Global plans to offer first, business, and economy class, with a focus on "reimagining the golden age of travel."

"We are needing to make a statement different from what people have done before and failed," Asquith told Travel Weekly. "If you race to the bottom, you are going to be pushed out by incumbents who have bigger loyalty platforms, bigger networks, and decent product."

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