Hi Fly has made history in Portugal once again by flying the world’s largest commercial aircraft from Dresden, Germany, to Beja, Portugal. This marks the second Airbus A380 to ever land in Portugal. The first instance occurred in 2018, when Hi Fly’s A380 9H-MIP arrived, showcasing the Mirpuri Foundation’s environmental campaign “Save the Coral Reefs.” The historic moment attracted an impressive number of spectators to Beja Airport, eager to witness the arrival of the Superjumbo.
The Hi Fly team successfully ferried the first Global Airlines Airbus A380-841, registered 9H-GLOBL, on a journey spanning 1,240 nautical miles from Dresden, Germany, to Beja, Portugal. Commander Carlos Mirpuri, Vice-Chairman of the Hi Fly Group, led the three-hour flight. He had previously led the missions from Mojave Desert Airport to Prestwick in May and from Prestwick to Dresden in October of last year.
Upon arriving in Beja, Commander Mirpuri remarked, “The A380 is a technological marvel. Nothing compares to it. It’s like a spaceship, and despite its impressive size, it’s as responsive as a smaller Airbus. It’s an absolute delight to fly. I’m looking forward to flying this impressive aircraft again when it makes its debut commercial flight with Global Airlines. This marks the culmination of nearly two years of effort, with a dedicated team of experts from Hi Fly and Global working tirelessly to make it happen.”
Hi Fly belongs to the very exclusive club of only 15 airlines to ever operate the A380, the largest and most advanced aircraft ever built. The company has earned a reputation for exceptional reliability and quality, consistently setting new benchmarks in global aviation standards. Its technical proficiency and operational excellence were key reasons Global Airlines chose Hi Fly to assist in the reactivation of pre-owned A380s, which had been parked and preserved at Mojave Desert Airport.
James Asquith, Founder & CEO of Global Airlines said, “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 that 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.”
Hi Fly and the Airbus A380
Hi Fly became the fourth European airline and the 14th global operator to fly the Airbus A380, marking the beginning of the wet leasing operations with the iconic aircraft. The Airbus A380 9H-MIP joined Hi Fly’s fleet in 2018 and was dedicated to raising awareness for the “Save the Coral Reefs” campaign by the Mirpuri Foundation. The striking livery featured a dark blue side depicting destroyed corals and a contrasting light blue side representing a pristine ocean, with vibrant marine life. During its time with Hi Fly, the aircraft visited 53 airports in 33 countries across four continents, making Hi Fly the leader in the number of airports visited by an A380 operator. Of all the A380 operators worldwide, Hi Fly was the first European airline and second globally in terms of landing destinations – all accomplished in just two years. The iconic 9H-MIP “Save the Coral Reefs” aircraft carried an important environmental message to millions of people worldwide.
About Hi Fly
Hi Fly is the largest Airbus Widebody aircraft wet lease specialist in the world, EASA and IOSA certified and FAA approved, with AOC’s in Portugal and Malta, and licensed to operate globally. The airline operates a large fleet of all Airbus aircraft, Airbus A320, A330, and A340, available for wet lease and charter, passengers and cargo, on short, medium and long-term contracts, worldwide. Customers include airlines, governments, tour operators, freight forward companies and private individuals and the military. This is Hi Fly’s core business and has been developed with unmatched operational expertise over the last 20 years.
All images credited to Hi Fly
