A newly established British airline is seeking to shape its destiny by embracing an unconventional strategy — one that revolves around fuel-hungry, four-engine widebody aircraft that the majority of the world’s leading carriers have spent decades methodically eliminating from their fleets. The company, known as Global Airlines, headquartered in the United Kingdom, has captured widespread attention and considerable skepticism within the aviation industry for its decision to revive the transatlantic operation of costly quad-engine jets in an era dominated by lean, fuel-efficient twin-engine models.
On Tuesday, the airline took possession of what it called a “new” addition to its fleet: an Airbus A340, a long-haul jet nearing the quarter-century mark. Despite its age, the jet represents a significant step in Global’s fleet-building ambitions. However, the aircraft is leased rather than owned outright, coming from the established Portuguese wet-lease operator Hi Fly under the registration 9H-SUN. This leasing arrangement underscores the startup’s limited capital resources and its necessity to pursue creative approaches to asset acquisition rather than outright purchases.
The choice of an A340 has raised eyebrows not only among industry analysts but also among aviation enthusiasts, many of whom note that the A340 family — which first took to the skies in 1991 — has largely reached the twilight of its commercial life. Around the world, such jets are far more commonly found being dismantled for parts in aircraft boneyards than being adorned in the fresh livery of an aspiring airline. In essence, the decision has been compared to buying a venerable car that has already logged two hundred thousand miles, refurbished it, and expected it to perform like new.
Global’s CEO, James Asquith, publicly unveiled the aircraft in a video shared on Instagram on Tuesday, recording himself walking through a hangar in Portugal as the camera revealed the airliner in its new colors. It marked Global’s first major update since the company’s high-profile debut of its entirely owned Airbus A380 back in May — another massive, four-engine aircraft renowned for both its engineering grandeur and its prodigious fuel consumption.
Founded in 2021 and privately funded by a group of individual investors, Global Airlines has oscillated between moments of enthusiasm and uncertainty in what has become a protracted “will they or won’t they” narrative about whether it can successfully take to the skies on a regular basis. Its approach to operating large, costly, and less fuel-efficient aircraft across the highly competitive transatlantic market has prompted many observers to question whether the startup can achieve financial viability where legacy carriers with superior economies of scale tread cautiously.
Aviation analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of the Atmosphere Research Group, described Global’s decision to lease an A340 as “puzzling.” In an interview with Business Insider, he explained that while the Airbus A340 is a safe, well-engineered, and historically dependable aircraft, it is far from the most logical or financially prudent choice for a fledgling airline. “A twin-engine aircraft such as the Boeing 777 or Airbus A330 would inevitably be far less expensive to operate and maintain,” Harteveldt observed. His comment reflects the broader industry consensus that fuel efficiency, maintenance simplicity, and operational flexibility are critical determinants of success in transatlantic aviation.
Harteveldt did acknowledge, however, that Global’s unusual decision might be rooted more in economic necessity than neglect. Asquith, the company’s founder, has previously indicated that his airline is capitalizing on the drastically reduced market value of older, unwanted aircraft — effectively purchasing or leasing them at bargain-basement prices in an attempt to offset their higher fuel use and maintenance costs. This cost-saving methodology, though unconventional, hinges precariously on stable fuel prices — a factor that can shift rapidly and unpredictably.
The choice of the A340 thus signals that Global Airlines is doubling down on its contrarian philosophy: constructing a fleet consisting primarily of large, gas-guzzling aircraft that other companies have retired en masse. Data from Cirium, a leading aviation analytics firm, shows that almost all major European operators — including Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, and Edelweiss — plan to retire their remaining A340s within the next two years, further solidifying the model’s legacy status. While roughly a dozen carriers worldwide still use the A340, none are based in the United States. For comparison, back in 2003, when Cirium first collected data, nearly forty airlines flew the aircraft, highlighting just how dramatically the model has fallen out of favor.
The A380, Global’s flagship model, tells a similar story. Once celebrated as the pinnacle of luxury air travel, the world’s only full-length double-decked airliner has seen its production halted and its fleet numbers dwindling rapidly. Former operators such as Air France, China Southern — which previously owned Global’s A380 — and Thai Airways retired the type due to its eye-watering fuel costs, limited route flexibility, and poor economic performance on anything short of consistently full, long-haul sectors. Airbus itself concluded A380 production in 2021 when customer orders all but vanished.
Global’s own A380, registered 9H-GLOBL, has faced operational delays and setbacks emblematic of the challenges inherent in reviving an aging aircraft type. When the airline first acquired the 13-year-old superjumbo, it had been parked for over a year in the arid California desert, requiring thousands of hours of rigorous maintenance and inspection before becoming airworthy once more. Asquith proudly remarked that the team had accomplished what many deemed impossible — returning their first fully owned A380 to commercial service, albeit briefly, after extensive restoration and certification work.
Despite its initial triumph, Global’s ambitions have not unfolded according to schedule. The airline originally aimed to debut regular services in 2024, yet it still lacks a consistent flight schedule or its own Air Operator Certificate. The few transatlantic test flights operated in May — carried out under Hi Fly’s operating credentials — were conceived as proof-of-concept demonstrations, showcasing that Global could transport paying passengers. Since July, however, the aircraft has remained grounded pending a comprehensive “D-check,” the most exhaustive form of airline maintenance, in which engineers painstakingly disassemble, inspect, and reassemble the jet over a period that can extend for several months.
Looking ahead, Global Airlines has stated its intention to inaugurate regular routes between the United Kingdom and the United States. Achieving this goal, however, will mean going head-to-head against some of the most entrenched players in global aviation — carriers with immense customer loyalty programs, exclusive corporate travel contracts, and fleets optimized for cost-effectiveness, featuring twin-engine Boeing and Airbus aircraft that consume significantly less fuel per seat mile. The startup’s nostalgic appeal and ambitious branding may draw curiosity, but seasoned observers caution that curiosity alone rarely sustains an airline.
With only two aircraft currently in operation — both fuel-intensive four-engine models — Global remains uniquely vulnerable. Any maintenance issue affecting one plane can cripple the entire flight schedule, eroding customer confidence and revenue alike. Industry history is replete with examples of ambitious startups collapsing under such operational fragility; Iceland’s WOW Air in 2019 and Nevada-based regional carrier Aha! in 2022 both shuttered abruptly, leaving passengers stranded and creditors unpaid.
Even for the limited flights Global has successfully operated, affordability has proved challenging. Its debut fares in April reached approximately $1,000 for round-trip economy seats, $5,000 for business class, and $9,000 for first class — figures notably higher than those charged by established competitors on comparable routes. Although the airline markets itself as a luxury experience, lavish pricing has so far failed to compensate for inconsistent service delivery or relatively modest cabin upgrades. In an acknowledgment of this reality, the company eventually slashed fares by around fifty percent, yet passenger load factors hovered around a mere twenty-five percent capacity. As aviation analyst Harteveldt summarized bluntly, “The A380 — and by extension the A340 — is simply far too much airplane for a startup carrier.”
Reactions to the airline’s inaugural flight were mixed. Travel influencers, bloggers, and reviewers who joined the journey offered a spectrum of assessments: some complimented the quality of inflight meals and amenities, while others lamented malfunctioning entertainment systems, uneven customer service, and cabins that failed to live up to the promotional imagery. Notably, instead of commissioning entirely new interiors, Global repurposed China Southern’s original seating — merely refreshing the upholstery with new materials and adding stylistic touches such as champagne service in economy and decorative lamps in business class. According to Harteveldt, designing, certifying, and installing a fully customized cabin would require at least eighteen months and significant financial investment.
Even supposing Global could overcome these interior shortcomings and deliver the promised luxury aesthetic, analysts remain uncertain about where the airline might profitably operate. London Heathrow and Gatwick, the UK’s primary transatlantic gateways, are slot-constrained and costly, while alternative airports might lack the infrastructure to handle large, four-engine aircraft. Moreover, the lucrative UK–US routes are already dominated by major airlines like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, and Delta. These competitors continue to modernize fleets with next-generation aircraft such as the Airbus A321XLR — a smaller, fuel-sipping jet capable of long-range routes to secondary cities like Edinburgh. American, for instance, will launch such service in December, while carriers like JetBlue and United are simultaneously expanding into Scotland.
Reflecting on this landscape, Harteveldt drew a historical comparison: “When Richard Branson founded Virgin Atlantic, he started with a single four-engine Boeing 747 flying between New Jersey and Gatwick, but this isn’t the 1980s.” The contemporary North American market, he stressed, is vastly different — fiercely competitive, data-driven, and resistant to ceding even a fraction of market share. Global Airlines, he implied, faces an uphill battle not only in achieving operational stability but also in persuading passengers and partners alike that its nostalgic fleet represents innovation rather than an imprudent gamble on the past.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/new-global-airlines-acquiring-four-engine-airbus-planes-a340-a380-2025-12
