ROUTES - Air Seychelles has extended the Mahe – Paris CDG route to 31 May 2026, operating with A330-300 from Hi Fly (Portugal).

Images: Air Seychelles
 

HYBRIDS cs / FLEET - Hi Fly AirbusA340-300 "Global Airlines" Livery - 9H-SUN

Photo: Flyingphotos
 

FLEET - Global Airlines has unveiled its first Airbus A340-300, registration 9H-SUN.

The A340 retains Hi Fly's standard blue and white livery, with the Global name applied to the upper fuselage and its globe logo on the tail.

Photo: James Asquith / Global Airlines





 

Hi Fly Achieves Another First: Airbus A330 Lands in Antarctica

Hi Fly has once again made aviation history, successfully landing an Airbus A330 in Antarctica for the first time. The flight marks a new chapter in the airline’s pioneering Antarctic operations, just one month after celebrating five consecutive years of flights to the White Continent.

Hi Fly’s Airbus A330-302, registered 9H-HFI and equipped with General Electric engines, touched down safely on the blue-ice runway at Wolf’s Fang Runway, Antarctica, on December 1st at 11:59 p.m. local time. Commanded by Captain Carlos Mirpuri, Vice-Chairman of Hi Fly, the aircraft connected Cape Town, South Africa, to the remote airfield, continuing Hi Fly’s ongoing partnership with White Desert Antarctica for the 2025/2026 season. Joining the flight was Captain Antonios Efthymiou, Hi Fly’s CEO, who was on board to celebrate this important milestone

The A330 shares the same fuselage as Hi Fly’s A340 but is powered by two engines instead of four, delivering comparable performance with greater cost efficiency and an improved environmental footprint. Twin-engine operations at Wolf’s Fang runway are now possible thanks to additional ground support equipment that was not in place when Hi Fly began Antarctic flights. Highly reliable, comfortable, and with an excellent safety record, the aircraft performs exceptionally well in extreme polar conditions.

This milestone builds on the airline’s historic 2021 achievement, when Hi Fly became the first to land an Airbus A340 on the frozen continent. The introduction of the A330, renowned for its efficiency, versatility, and environmental credentials, represents a new era in sustainable, flexible operations to one of the world’s most challenging environments.

“Landing in Antarctica is never routine, every flight demands careful planning, exacting precision, and respect for the environment,” said Captain Mirpuri, who also commanded Hi Fly’s first A340 mission. “Introducing the A330 to this remote runway highlights our commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and the ongoing evolution of polar aviation.”

The arrival of the A330 reinforces Hi Fly’s status as a leader in complex, long-range, and environmentally demanding missions, combining proven operational expertise with the latest in modern widebody technology.

Hi Fly is a leading widebody aircraft wet lease and charter specialist, offering worldwide services to airlines,governments, tour operators, companies, and individuals. The company operates a modern and efficient fleet with a strong focus on safety, reliability, and sustainability. Hi Fly is well known for its expertise in special operations, humanitarian missions, and pioneering flights to some of the most challenging and remote locations on Earth, including its groundbreaking Antarctic operations.
HIFLY

ROUTES / FLEET - Laser Airlines inaugurates new route between Caracas and Madrid

Laser Airlines (Venezuela) took delivery of one A330-200, serial 925, on wet lease from Hi Fly (Portugal) and powered by CF6-80E1A3 engines.

Venezuelan airline Laser Airlines inaugurated on Monday a new route connecting Caracas with Madrid, its firstdestination in Europe.
The route will operate three flights per week on an Airbus A330-200.

Flights will depart from Caracas at 18:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving in Madrid at 09:15 the following day (local time). From the Spanish capital they will ake o! at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, landing at Maiquetia Airport at 2:50 p.m. (local time).

FLEET / ROUTES - Air Mauritius added leased A340-300 from Hi Fly (Malta), primarily scheduled on Mauritius – London Gatwick route, between 26 March and 14 April 2024.

Photo: Hifly
 

FLEET - FlyCAA / HIFLY / A330-300 / 9H-HFI

Rui Silva
 

FLEET - Hi Fly / A340-300 / 9H-TQZ

Ton Jochems - AMS
 

NEW AIRCRAFT - TAAG to wet-lease an A330-200 (9H-HFG) from Hi Fly to support its Luanda-Lisbon schedule

TAAG Angola Airlines, the state-owned carrier of the Republic of Angola, announced that it will be wet leasing an Airbus A330 from Portugal’s Hi Fly to support its Luanda (LAD) to Lisbon (LIS) operations.

Photo: Rui Silva - LPPT  

 

Hi Fly has made history once again, by landing, for the first time ever, an Airbus A340 in Antarctica

Captain Carlos Mirpuri and his crew flew the widebody aircraft, from Cape Town to the White Continent and back; the journey is 2,500 nautical miles, flying for just over five hours each way. Never before has an A340 landed on an Antarctic blue glacial ice runway.

The aircraft will be used this season to fly a small number of tourists, alongside scientists and essential cargo to the White Continent.

Hi Fly 9H-SOL is an A340-313HGW (High Gross Weight) with a maximum take-off weight of 275 tons. It is an aircraft that delivers, every time. Highly reliable, comfortable, with an excellent safety record, the aircraft was carefully chosen to perform well in this extreme environment. Its exceptional range and 4 engine redundancy also makes it ideal for this type of remote operation.

The turnaround in Antarctica took less time than the initially planned three hours, with Flight Operations, Ground Operations and Maintenance doing an impeccable job. A true winning team.

#SpecialMissions #ConqueringAntarctica #A340

Photo credits: Marc Bow / Speedstream Films

 HIFLY

HIFLY A380: Last flight - Beja to Toulouse

Last Comercial flight: Shanghai - Hamburg - Dirk Grothe

She first drew a big heart near the Portuguese shore, over the Atlantic Ocean

Photos: FPP

SpiceJet to debut widebody wet-lease in mid-3Q20

SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int'l) has confirmed it will operate its first-ever widebody flight on August 1, 2020, from Amsterdam Schiphol via Bangalore Int'l to Hyderabad Int'l, using an A330-900 wet-leased from Hi Fly (5K, Beja).

The carrier said via its official Twitter account that the flight would operate as a repatriation charter. However, SpiceJet has recently secured designations to launch scheduled services to the United States and the United Kingdom and hopes to do so once travel restrictions are reduced.

CS-TKY (msn 1929), a one-year-old Airbus widebody, has already been used extensively to operate COVID-related charters, although so far it has only been deployed under Hi Fly's own code. The contract with SpiceJet will be the aircraft's first wet-lease deployment during the pandemic.

"This A330-900 can do India-US nonstop. We plan to utilise it initially for charters to wherever the demand is for. Later it may be used for schedule flights under the travel bubbles India is forming with some countries," an airline source told the Times of India.

SpiceJet does not operate any in-house widebody aircraft. It has, of recent, been linked to a wet-lease deal for up to three A330s from Oman Air (WY, Muscat).

ch aviation

Hi Fly Malta converts A380 to makeshift freighter

Although Airbus cancelled the development of the A380-800(F) without ever having built a single one, ACMI/charter specialist Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) has now converted its only A380-800 into a makeshift freighter as a part of post-COVID strategic changes.

The Maltese airline, a subsidiary of Hi Fly (5K, Beja), announced that it has removed nearly all 399 economy class seats from both the main and the upper decks of 9H-MIP (msn 6). Following the cabin modification carried out by Lufthansa Technik, the quadjet can now carry nearly 60 tonnes of cargo spread across its bellyhold, overhead lockers, on around one-third of its main deck, and around two-thirds of its upper deck.

Hi Fly Malta has however retained all 60 business class seats and all 12 first class seats onboard the A380.

Hi Fly's A380 is the world's only A380 transferred to a new operator via the second-hand market. The 13.7-year-old double-decker was originally delivered to Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi).
ch aviation

Hi Fly Malta adds maiden A321-200

Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) has taken delivery of its maiden A321-200 in the form of 9H-LIS (msn 3274), Skyliner Aviation has reported.

The 12.1-year-old ex-Qatar Airways aircraft was ferried from Doha Hamad Int'l to Larnaca for maintenance on October 14, 2019. It is dry-leased from Castlelake and equipped with 182 seats, including 12 in business class and 170 in economy.

The carrier's parent Hi Fly (5K, Beja) already operates one A321-200, CS-TRJ (msn 1004), under a long-term wet-lease contract with the Belgian Air Component (BAF, Brussels National).



For its part, Hi Fly Malta's narrowbody fleet also includes three A319-100s. The Hi Fly group also operates three A330-200s (in Portugal), one A330-300 (in Malta), two A330-900s (one in each unit), six A340-300s (four in Malta and two in Portugal), and one A380-800 (in Malta).

Portugal's Hi Fly to "eventually" seek third AOC

Hi Fly (5K, Lisbon) is planning to "eventually" obtain a third Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) after its original one in Portugal and the second one in Malta for Hi Fly Malta, Chief Executive Paulo Mirpuri said during a panel at the AIR Convention in Vilnius moderated by ch-aviation.

"Hi Fly will eventually open up a third AOC. That's our strategic plan. It will be in another English-speaking country, so it will be either in Ireland or in the United Kingdom," Mirpuri said.

He added that the ACMI/charter specialist will evaluate whether the post-Brexit UK is more or less appealing than currently. He added that setting up a British AOC could also become helpful to continue serving customers in the country after it leaves the European Union.

Hi Fly already set up Hi Fly X Ireland as a SPV during the process of acquisition of two A330-200s for Nepal Airlines (RA, Kathmandu), where the Portuguese firm acted as an intermediary. Mirpuri recently told ch-aviation that Hi Fly had no plans to convert Hi Fly X Ireland into a fully-fledged airline unit.

Mirpuri also told ch-aviation that the carrier manages its two units in Portugal and Malta as a single carrier. Setting up a subsidiary in Malta was mostly driven by the intention to "derisk".

"Three AOCs in Europe are a part of our derisking strategy. But eventually, we will have to establish AOCs in other parts of the world as well. For example, if we want to provide ACMI services to an American carrier, we will be better positioned having a US AOC," Mirpuri added.



He elaborated that non-European AOCs would be established through partnerships with local investors to comply with local control and ownership laws.

LAM Mozambique confirms European return in late 1Q20

LAM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (TM, Maputo) will partner Hi Fly (5K, Lisbon) for the launch of non-stop flights between Mozambique and former colonial master Portugal scheduled for March 31, 2020.

According to O País newspaper, the agreement was finalized on Monday, October 7, and will see LAM wet-leasing A340-300 capacity from Hi Fly for a 3x weekly Maputo-Lisbon service. Ticket sales will start later this month, the report added.

State-owned LAM is forced to used ACMI capacity for the route given it is currently banned from European airspace.



The route will compete with TAP Air Portugal (TP, Lisbon) which currently runs a similar 3x weekly service also using an A340-300. However, this will switch to an A330-900 once the quadjets are retired in late October.

Ch Aviation

Photo: Alain Charpentier

Portugal's Hi Fly eyes 100-strong fleet, more A380s

Hi Fly (5K, Lisbon) is hoping to grow its fleet more than threefold to as many as 100 aircraft within the next ten years, CEO Paulo Mirpuri told Air Transport World.

"I think we can grow a lot more. I think we could grow eventually to over 100 aircraft. This year alone we’re phasing in five aircraft. Over the next 10 years we could reach 100 aircraft - probably sooner," Mirpuri said.

He said that the airline will be adding more second-hand A380-800s. It currently operates a single ex-Singapore Airlines unit through its subsidiary Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l). Mirpuri said that further A380s could arrive starting in 2020.

"We believe that additional A380 aircraft will enter our fleet - we need more than two or three," Mirpuri said.



Hi Fly is currently operating sixteen aircraft. The Portuguese unit has a fleet of six aircraft, including one A321-200, two A330-200s, and three A340-300s. The Maltese airline, in turn, operates three A319-100s, one A330-300, one A330-900, four A340-300s, and the single A380.

ch aviation

Norwegian adds a leased A340-500 through mid-3Q18

Norwegian (DY, Oslo Gardermoen) will wet-lease an A340-500 from Hi Fly (5K, Lisbon) to cover its Barcelona El Prat base's summer operational requirements.
ch-aviation analysis of schedule data indicates CS-TFX (msn 912) will be deployed on the Scandinavian carrier's services to Newark and Oakland over the period running from June 1 to July 22.
Other Hi Fly aircraft in service for Norwegian this summer include one A340-300 used to cover flights from Paris CDG to New York JFK and Los Angeles Int'l, and an A330-200 used to ply Norwegian UK (DI, London Gatwick) flights out of its London Gatwick hub.

ch aviation

Photo:FPP - LPPT

Air Austral extends leased Hi-Fly A330 service to July 2018

Air Austral in recent schedule update extended leased Airbus A330-200 operation for Northern summer 2018 season. Leased Hi-Fly A330-200 aircraft from 25MAR18, is being extended until 04JUL18. From 25MAR18 to 12JUN18, service operated by 266-seater A330, switching to 330-seater from 13JUN18 to 04JUL18.

Planned Hi-Fly A330 operation as follows.
St. Denis de la Reunion – Bangkok 2 weekly
St. Denis de la Reunion – Dzaoudzi 4 weekly (5 weekly from 13JUN18)
By Jim Liu - Routesonline

HIFLY - A330-200 - CS-TQW

Ton Jochems - BRU