An Airbus A380 super-jumbo, the first of its kind to be retired from service, has found a new owner after sitting on a French airfield, unmarked and unwanted, for months.
The plane, which was owned by a leasing company and flown by Singapore Airlines has now been sold to a Portuguese company, Hi Fly, which operates charter services and wet-leases planes to airlines.
In a wet lease, the airline’s logos and fittings are visible, but the plane, insurance and the pilots are provided by the leasing company. Sometimes that’s done because the airline saves capital by not buying; in other cases, it allows an airline to cover a route while waiting for planes of its own. Hi Fly, for instance, is flying A330s and A340s for Norwegian while 787 engine checks are performed.
Hi Fly, which is also reported to be buying a second retired A380, hasn’t said whether they will fly as wet leases or under the company’s own name.
