A Company You've Never Heard of Is Getting 2 A380s with Singapore Suites
Hi-Fly, a Portuguese company that's in the business of wet-leasing of aircraft, will be the newest operator of the Airbus A380 jumbo jet. The company tweeted earlier today that it's "taking delivery of its first A380."
Back in August, Hi-Fly said it would purchase two used A380s to supplement its fleet of A321s, A330s and A340s. Now, Flight Global is reporting that Hi-Fly will take delivery of the aircraft around the "middle of this year."
What makes the purchase even cooler is that Hi-Fly is actually buying two of Singapore Airlines' old aircraft, and they won't be changing the interior or seats. Singapore didn't renew its lease for five of its decade-old A380s — therefore giving Hi-Fly the opportunity to add to them to its fleet.
The aircraft will keep the same 471-seat configuration that Singapore installed, opting not to switch to a high-density layout to fit 560 passengers as previously reported. That means 60 business-class seats and 12 first-class suites. TPG reviewed Singapore Suites (the old version) and called it one of the best products in the sky.
On the aircraft's upper deck business class is laid out in a 1-2-1 style and received high marks from TPG's Zach Honig.
In addition to the first class suites, the lower deck will feature 399 economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration.
"This acquisition has been part of our company's plans for a while," Hi Fly president Paulo Mirpuri told Flight Global. "It is a very proud moment for Hi Fly."
Because Hi-Fly is a wet-lease operator, it means that it will loan the aircraft to an airline, although it's unclear right now what airline that will be. For example, Azores Airlines is operating an Airbus A340 that's been wet-leased to them by Hi-Fly — and it's actually an old Emirates aircraft that features the Emirates' seats and interiors. Norwegian also had to temporarily replace its Boeing 787s with Hi-Fly A330s while the Dreamliners got their engines repaired.
Keep in mind that Hi-Fly is keeping just Singapore's hard product (i.e. the seats) — but the quality of amenities, food and service will all be at the mercy of whichever airline is actually flying the plane.
Hi-Fly said in August that it expected one A380 to be leased long-term while another would be contracted out on a seasonal basis to meet increased demand.
RELATED VIDEO:
https://vimeo.com/253848910
Singapore A380 Suite Tour
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month