The Airbus A380 operated by UK-based startup Global Airlines has been sent back to storage at Tarbes/Lourdes Airport in France, following its initial passenger flights earlier this year.
Previously part of the China Southern fleet, the aircraft had spent years parked in the Mojave Desert before being acquired in 2023. After undergoing extensive maintenance and restoration, it completed a limited number of promotional flights on the Glasgow–New York route.
Global Airlines still lacks an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) required to operate commercial passenger flights in the UK under its own name. As a result, the initial flights were conducted through a wet lease agreement with Malta-based Hi Fly. However, the legal process required for regular scheduled operations has not yet been finalized.
The aircraft returned to Manchester in June, but a planned fourth flight never took place.
The decision to return the aircraft to storage is not solely due to licensing issues. Operational challenges have also played a role. For instance, the Glasgow–New York flight carried only around 170 passengers—an extremely low load factor for a high-capacity, high-cost aircraft like the A380.
