Portugal welcomes second ever A380 as Global Airlines inches closer to commercial launch

January 20, 2025

UK startup Global Airlines has flown one of its Airbus A380 aircraft from Dresden in Germany to Beja Airport in Portugal, marking the second time the world’s largest commercial aircraft has touched down in the country.
The three-hour, 1,240 nautical-mile flight from Dresden, Germany, was operated by Hi Fly, a wet lease and charter specialist contracted in 2023 to manage Global Airlines’ fleet of four A380s.
Commander Carlos Mirpuri, vice-chairman of the Hi Fly Group, piloted the flight. Mirpuri, who has overseen previous missions for the Global Airlines aircraft from Mojave Desert Airport, US to Prestwick, UK in May 2024 and then from Prestwick to Dresden, in October last year.
He described the aircraft as a “technological marvel” and an “absolute delight to fly.” He added, “It’s like a spaceship, but despite its impressive size, [the A380] is as responsive as a smaller Airbus. I’m looking forward to flying this impressive aircraft again when it makes its debut commercial flight with Global Airlines.”
Having launched in 2023 with a fleet exclusively comprised of Airbus A380s, Global Airlines has yet to confirm an official start date for commercial operations. The company originally slated a start date in 2024, which has since been pushed back with the latest indications that it plans to start commercial operations in 2025. The arrival of its first aircraft in Portugal marks a critical step forward, but there is still a long way to go.
James Asquith, CEO and founder of Global Airlines, expressed his enthusiasm for the milestone, stating: “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 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.”
The aircraft, which was previously owned by China Southern Airlines, underwent “extensive maintenance” at Elbe Flugzeugwerke before taking off from Dresden. It will now undergo the final maintenance touches in Portugal ahead of its planned integration into Global Airlines’ commercial operations.
Reflecting on the airline’s achievements to date, Asquith shared his gratitude in a LinkedIn post saying: “Everyone at Global has sacrificed so much to be here, many sleepless nights, a massive amount of challenges, but a team that has been determined to get this far.”
“Like any business, the sheer work behind the scenes will rarely be seen until the end product, but this one is for my amazing colleagues who made this possible.”
Despite facing skepticism for his ambitious plans to redefine luxury transatlantic travel Asquith remains resolute in his plans to transform his childhood dream into a commercial reality on some of the world’s busiest and most competitive routes. With no prior experience running an airline, his vision includes a three-class configuration – first, business and economy class travel (plans for a ‘gamer class’ have been dropped) – initially serving routes between London Gatwick in the UK and New York as well as Los Angeles in the US. In anticipation of its launch, the airline has recently teased features such as its all-red cabin crew uniforms (reminiscent of those worn by Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew) and premium offerings that will be available in first and business class such as Rova Caviar. At the end of last year, it also announced cabin crew open days in Lisbon and Barcelona.
However, hurdles remain. Global Airlines has yet to secure an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or announce any regulatory progress – a critical step for commercial operations. In the meantime, the airline continues to collaborate with Hi Fly, utilising its expertise to advance its fleet readinesss. Work is also ongoing to restore the second and third A380s in the fleet back into service. While challenges remain and we await progress on an official launch date for Global Airlines’ operations, Asquith and his team are certainly disrupting the skies with their bold aspirations to redefine commercial air travel.