The Portuguese wet-lease specialist, Hi Fly will operate two Airbus A380 aircraft from 2018, according to CEO Paulo Mirpuri who spoke with Swiss media outlet, aeroTELEGRAPH, last week. The aircraft in question are from Singapore Airlines, one of which has been returned to owner Dr Peters.
Mirpuri described the A380 as a “logical addition” to its fleet comprising A340s and A330s. He said (translated from the original German): “We have been working on this project for almost two years. We believe that is now the right time for the launch of the A380.” He adds that having been used to marketing the A340-600, the size of the A380 is not a concern: “The technology of the A380 is very similar to that of our remaining fleet. Hi Fly has been flying high-floor planes for twelve years and we do not expect any problems in the operation.”
During the interview Mirpuri confirmed that the A380s would be configuration with two classes and 560 seats and will be used on long-haul routes while still offering a premium product. Hi Fly has often charted its aircraft out for Hajj flights but Mirpuri says that this is only one of the options for the A380: “The Airbus A380 is an ideal platform for our customers who need a long-haul aircraft with premium interiors … between airports with few slots. Hajj flights have great potential, but there are many other possibilities. Many airlines are reluctant to take over an A380 completely. Now they can hire [one] for the high season with the crew of Hi Fly… to also try the A380. We believe that some of our customers will later purchase the A380 after testing it with Hi Fly. We believe that we are helping to market the A380.”