Proactive Investors - Global Airlines, the new UK and US transatlantic carrier set up by travel entrepreneur James Asquith, has acquired its first plane, an Airbus A380 double-decker superjumbo.
Asquith, who also set up the house swap app, Holiday Swap, said: “Our aspiration is to be the best way to fly and the A380 – with its unmatched levels of space, comfort and service – will be absolutely central to achieving that vision.”
The businessman, who holds the record for the youngest person to visit all 193 of the world’s sovereign countries, added it is the first airline to buy rather than lease an Airbus A380 for eight years.
Most A380s were warehoused at the start of the Covid pandemic in the expectation that they would be replaced by more fuel-efficient planes but resurgent demand for air travel and the aeroplane's extra seating capacity has seen the superjumbo make a comeback.
Global Airlines acquired the plane from German leasing group Doric Aviation and expects to acquire three more ahead of flights from London to New York and Los Angeles starting next spring.
“The purchase of our first aircraft demonstrates that we are well on the way to launching Global," said Asquith.
“The next step is to overhaul and refit the aircraft to our high specification, providing our customers with the best experience in the sky today.
“Acquiring our aircraft rather than leasing showcases our commitment to financial security and resilience from day one.”
No details on how much it paid for the A 380 were released.