‘I’ve risked everything’: New airline vowing to revolutionise transatlantic flights ready for take-off

Global Airlines, the start-up bearer pledging to “revolutionise” transatlantic flying, has announced the day of its archetypal rider flight.

An Airbus A380 is scheduled to depart from Glasgow astatine 11am connected 15 May, arriving astatine New York JFK 7 hours later.

The archetypal take-off volition beryllium a one-off charter alternatively than a regular scheduled flight. On accomplishment astatine the US airport, the level volition stay connected the crushed for 4 days, returning to Scotland connected 19 May. The adjacent task leaves Manchester 2 days aboriginal for different four-day travel to New York.

No plans person been revealed for the primitively envisaged scheduled nexus betwixt London Gatwick and JFK.

Tickets for the maiden formation are believed to beryllium already connected merchantability to a closed idiosyncratic group. The introductory system fare is £699 return. Sales are soon expected to unfastened up to the public.

The hose is telling travellers: “Onboard the cabins person each been overhauled to springiness a brand-new look and feel. The catering squad has been engaged preparing a caller paper and determination volition beryllium peculiar ‘limited edition’ amenity kits successful each cabins, for each passengers.”

Ahead of the launch, laminitis and main enforcement James Asquith told The Independent: “I’m feeling good. It’s been a agelong roadworthy to get here. It’s those brainsick benignant of past mates of days and weeks looking to participate into work and it has surely not been easy.

“We knew it would beryllium massively challenging. But we persevered and present we are.”

The 36-year-old hose laminitis added: “I’ve sold and risked everything to beryllium successful the presumption I’m at. I’m putting everything connected the line.”

In May 2024, the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Mr Asquith’s wealthiness astatine £182m.

Many aviation manufacture insiders person questioned the prospects of a start-up hose profitably filling seats connected the world’s biggest rider level crossed the Atlantic.

Competition is intense. Existing carriers person beardown loyalty programmes and networks offering connections. There are signs of a downturn successful bookings to the US successful effect to the actions of the Trump administration, with travellers fearful of borderline officials oregon appalled by events successful America.

But Mr Asquith believes the A380 is simply a rider favourite that volition beryllium appealing.

“No one’s done this before,” helium said. “When’s the past clip a caller airline’s travel to the marketplace that said. ‘We’re starring with a product’?

“No one’s started an hose by owning their craft and having the largest craft successful the world.

“Everyone said it was impossible. We’ve done each milestone that radical said was impossible.”

Global Airlines bought its archetypal Airbus A380 craft successful May 2023, predicting the “first transatlantic flights” by outpouring 2024. That craft is inactive connected the crushed astatine Lourdes airdrome successful southwest France.

The start-up bearer bought a 2nd A380 that was antecedently flown by China Southern and which was stored astatine Mojave Air and Space Port, a godforsaken airfield successful confederate California. The pitchy was flown from determination to Prestwick successful Scotland successful May 2024, with its undercarriage down for information reasons: the landing cogwheel could not beryllium tested astatine the airfield wherever it was stored,

The A380 remained astatine the Scottish airdrome for 5 months earlier flying to Dresden for further maintenance.

The “SuperJumbo” was past flown to Beja successful Portugal, wherever it has been since 17 January 2025.

Now the hose is inviting travellers “to reserve your seats connected our UK inaugural flights, taking disconnected successful May 2025”.

The archetypal commercialized flights volition usage a Global Airlines A380 but volition beryllium operated by a Portuguese firm, Hi Fly. The relation specialises successful providing short-term craft and unit to assistance airlines capable gaps successful their schedules, and has immoderate acquisition of the A380.

Tickets volition not beryllium sold nonstop by Global Airlines but by a Slough-based company, TravelOpedia Ltd. Bookings volition beryllium Atol-protected.

Before Global Airlines tin alert connected its ain account, it indispensable get an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), signifying that it meets information requirements.

The start-up volition besides request an Operating Licence (OL). The CAA says applicants indispensable “demonstrate that they person capable backing to enactment the business”.

An aviation insider questioned Global Airlines’ longer-term plans, saying: “What advancement has been made connected the AOC and OL? Without these, they volition ne'er beryllium operating retired of Gatwick connected thing much than ad-hoc charters operated by Hi Fly.”

They besides pointed retired that British Airways, with a fleet of 12 Airbus A380s, has repeatedly experienced reliability problems starring to large-scale cancellations. A three-hour-plus hold connected a formation owed to method reasons could trigger compensation claims totalling £140,000 oregon more.

Mr Asquith said: “We’ve got a batch of radical that privation to alert connected what we’re doing astatine Global.

“People tin beryllium critical, but you’ve got a bully clump of radical trying to bash thing for bully reasons here, and we’re astir there.”