Portuguese charter operator Hi Fly will become the first company to wet-lease a second-hand Airbus A380, by taking one of the five Singapore Airlines A380s which have already been retired, reports airlinegeeks.com.
The intention, according to Hi Fly, is to operate two aircraft, starting with one by mid-2018. The aircraft configuration will be the same as Singapore Airlines operated on its older A380s. The airline initially wanted to utilize two former Singapore Airlines aircraft leased by Dr. Peters, a German company specialized in Asset Management.
That deal, however, fell through and the airline has instead committed to one former Singapore Airlines A380 for now from another leasing company.
With 399 economy seats on the main deck, and 60 business class plus 12 first suites on the upper deck, the 471 seat aircraft is deemed as "truly luxurious." Inflight Entertainment will be provided via a Panasonic CX-2 integrated system.
