20 July, 2018: Hi Fly, a Portuguese charter airline with an all-Airbus fleet has become the first operator of a second-hand A380. It’s a move that marks the beginning of a new era for the programme and demonstrates Airbus’ continued commitment to the passenger favourite double-deck widebody airliner.
The A380 programme is young – the first aircraft entered into service in October 2007 – and so when MSN006 came off lease after a decade of airline operation, its lessor looked for support from Airbus in finding a new operator.
“From the beginning we knew it would be good for us to help build a market for second-hand aircraft,” said Catherine Bras, Airbus’ A380 business development platform leader. “We think this is a great opportunity to show what the aircraft can do. There may be some airlines that were hesitant to commit long-term who can now try out an A380 and see what it can do for them. This could help create new routes and expand the market base.”