UK startup Global Airlines (London City) has blamed partner delays and multiple supply chain issues for pushing back its launch to an unspecified date in the latter half of 2024. The carrier had planned to start flights in the first half of the year.
"Our intention is to commence with charter flights later in 2024 with scheduled services from the UK following that," reads a Global Airlines statement. "We expect to operate our first round of passenger services in the next 12 months. However, like many other aviation companies, we have encountered delays with our partners and multiple supply chain issues, which we continue to work around and find solutions to."
To date, Global Airlines has secured a single A380-800, which is currently registered as 9H-MIP (msn 6). The aircraft formerly operated for Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) and is now stored at Lourdes/Tarbes. In mid-2023, the carrier claimed to have secured another three A380-800s but failed to produce evidence of doing so. Global Airlines plans to operate trans-Atlantic flights using the A380-type in a multi-class configuration.
A Global Airlines spokesperson told ch-aviation there had been significant changes since the startup was first announced, including the relationship with Hi Fly (5K, Beja), which gives Global a different route to the market. "This is what we're prioritising at the moment," the spokesperson said. Addressing the delays, the spokesperson said Global, like other operators, was having some challenges locking in slots for heavy maintenance, finding hangar space, and securing manpower but expects to resolve these issues relatively soon.
UK Companies House records reveal Global Airlines Limited is helmed by three directors - James Edward Asquith, Richard Mark Graham Stephenson, and Thomas Guy Stokey. The registered business address is located in Berkeley Square, London. Another entity owned by Asquith, Holiday Swapping Limited, owns 75% of the shares and voting rights in Global Airlines Limited.
