As reported earlier, Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly is phasing out its sole Airbus A380 (MSN 006), after three years of successful operations worldwide. This morning, the A380 registered 9H-MIP departed Beja Airport, Portugal destination Toulouse, France. Not before leaving a nice drawing in the sky.
The decision to not extend the initial agreed lease period came as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, that drastically reduced the demand for very large aircraft.
Hi Fly belongs to the very exclusive club of only 15 airlines to ever operate the A380, the largest and most advanced aircraft of all times. This aircraft was a testimony to how far a human being can go in developing something so extraordinary.
Above all, the iconic 9H-MIP “Save the Coral Reefs” (message sponsored by Mirpuri Foundation) was inspiring and carried this responsible message to hundreds of millions of people in the four corners of the world.
The Airbus A380 will be replaced in the Hi Fly fleet by additional Airbus A330s, a smaller and more adequate aircraft for current market conditions.
