Prestwick + Global Airlines + Airbus = optimism?
By Doug Maclean Aviation editor
Great excitement yesterday when the first ever Airbus 380 Super Jumbo arrived at Prestwick on what everyone assumed was a routine fuel stop. The first Airbus 380 for Britain’s new airline, Global Airlines, landed at Prestwick airport which has been christened as The Heart Of Scottish Aviation.
The aircraft was believed to be heading for Portugal and on to Malta Ayrshire Daily News has learned that is no longer the case. Now it appears that not only will the Airbus be staying longer than anticipated but there is a hint of a desire to make Prestwick a significant part of Global Airlines. That hint comes in the Press Release sent out by Global Airlines today.
The aircraft is registered 9H-GLOBAL and the full press release says –
9H-GLOBAL Arrives in the UK as Global Airlines Takes Transatlantic Stride Forward
• Global’s first aircraft undertook a two-leg flight cycle from Mojave Air and Space Port (MHV) to Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) in what was a first in the nearly 20-year history of the A380.
• The flight required a rigorous, multi-month planning and a collaborative process involving partners and regulators including Airbus, Hi Fly, TM-CAD and the FAA.
• From its new location in Scotland, the next step for the aircraft will be to commence a full interior refurbishment and continue its maintenance journey back to the skies.
Global Airlines first fully owned A380 yesterday touched down at Glasgow Prestwick Airport at 17:00 BST.
The arrival of 9H-GLOBL in the UK was a momentous moment for Global and signalled another significant milestone being reached. With far more access to A380 infrastructure and expertise in Europe, MSN120 will now continue its journey back to commercial operations.
From Prestwick, the next steps for 9H-GLOBL will be for Global’s partners to start work on the complete interior refurbishment, and to develop new maintenance capabilities at the airport that will enable the aircraft to take the next step towards launching passenger flights.
Following the airline’s first flight on February 15th, a huge collective effort between Global, Hi Fly, Airbus and maintenance partners was focused on returning the aircraft to service, conducting required maintenance and securing all necessary regulatory approvals.
Over two months, Airbus supported technical and engineering assessments, with the Hi Fly crew also receiving bespoke simulator training. No stone was left unturned, and on April 26th, the approval was issued for the flight to Prestwick.
At 15.54 PST on April 30th, the aircraft, led by Commander Carlos Mirpuri and a crew of three, departed from the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, for the 5 hour and 40-minute flight to Montreal Mirabel International Airport (YMX), where it refuelled. The aircraft then headed across the Atlantic, directly to PIK, where it landed on runway 30 at 17:00 BST.
The flight itself created significant local and online attention and was the most viewed flight of the day on Flight Radar with almost 40,000 viewers at its peak.
Speaking for the first time since the arrival of the aircraft in Scotland, James Asquith the CEO and Founder of Global Airlines said:
“There were moments when I thought the aircraft would not make it out of America, but thanks to amazing efforts from Airbus, Hi Fly, our maintenance partners and of course our brilliant Global team, we now have our first aircraft in Europe and are in a position and a place where we can take even further strides forward.
“Getting to Europe is a significant milestone for Global Airlines and it’s the product of huge amounts of energy, resolve and belief in the project, on both sides of the Atlantic.
“I am particularly grateful to the team at Glasgow Prestwick Airport for welcoming 9H-GLOBL with such enthusiasm. I am so pleased that we now have the opportunity to work with industry leaders in the UK to build new A380 capabilities and expertise.
”Looking ahead, everybody in the team is moving forward to a really busy summer where we’ll start to showcase more and more of the Global offerings and innovations that will make our airline unique.”
Commander Carlos Mirpuri, Vice-Chairman of Hi Fly Group, who was the chief pilot for the flights said after arriving at Prestwick: “This aeroplane is an engineering marvel, and I can’t get enough of it. This was a long journey across America and the Atlantic, and all went as expected.
“I wish Global Airlines success with it. It is time to conduct the rest of the return-to-service jobs so that passengers can enjoy flying this super jumbo. There is nothing like it.”
Glasgow Prestwick Airport CEO Ian Forgie said:
“We are delighted to have supported Global with this key stage in their exciting journey.
It was also the first time an A380 has landed at Prestwick so this was an exciting moment in Prestwick’s aviation history, and it drew a large crowd of aviation enthusiasts who wanted to witness the touchdown.”
Two paragraphs stand out for me –
“From its new location in Scotland, the next step for the aircraft will be to commence a full interior refurbishment and continue its maintenance journey back to the skies.”
“From Prestwick, the next steps for 9H-GLOBL will be for Global’s partners to start work on the complete interior refurbishment, and to develop new maintenance capabilities at the airport that will enable the aircraft to take the next step towards launching passenger flights.”
We already know from the published plans of Global Airlines that they plan to refurbish the interior of the aircraft and that significant maintenance will need to be done to restore the aircraft to passenger service. The aircraft will then have the new livery and branding of Global Airlines before it is put into service.
The obvious route that would support an aircraft as big as the nearly 500-seat Airbus 380 is London to New York. It has been suggested that Global will base itself at London Gatwick Airport.
So where does that leave Prestwick in the Global Airlines plans? The Airbus, still in the colours of its previous owner China Southern Airlines, was pictured at Prestwick this afternoon in the company of 3 other Airbus aircraft belonging to the Hungarian carrier Wizz Air.
This Eddie Wallace picture is a good example of how the airline industry works. Aeroplanes often change hands between airlines, banks and leasing companies. They sometimes change countries of registration and after a few months on the ground, they start a new and often long life with a new operator.
Prestwick is booming with aircraft engineering. Many hundreds of jobs have been created by companies like Ryanair, Wizz, Egyptair and Tui bringing their aircraft to Prestwick for maintenance. Expansion of maintenance facilities or new hangers has been openly discussed.
At the moment there are no obvious Prestwick facilities that could undertake the interior refurbishment or engineering maintenance necessary for the Global Airlines A380. However, the press release clearly says “Global’s partners to start work on the complete interior refurbishment, and to develop new maintenance capabilities at the airport”.
In our view, the Prestwick airport aerospace cluster of high-quality engineering companies, combined with the wide open space of Prestwick airport, is well placed to add to growing the skills and facilities right here in the heart of Ayrshire.
We will watch with great interest the possibility that Prestwick may yet again forge a new identity using its long history of engineering excellence.