Hi Fly is planning the phase out its Airbus A380 at the end of the lease term later this year, following almost three years of operations worldwide. The lessor said that the decision to not extend the initial agreed lease period came as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, that drastically reduced the demand for very large aircraft.
“Hi Fly belongs to the very exclusive club of only 15 airlines to ever operate the A380, the largest and most advanced aircraft of all times. This aircraft was a testimony to how far human being can go in developing something so extraordinary,” the company stated.
The Airbus A380 will be replaced in the Hi Fly fleet by additional Airbus A330s, a smaller and “more adequate aircraft for current market conditions”.