Global Airlines has flown its sole airworthy aircraft from the maintenance facility of Beja in southern Portugal to Barcelona.
The Airbus A380 arrived at Spain’s second-busiest airport shortly before 3pm local time after an 86-minute flight across the Iberian peninsula.
It marks the first time the aircraft, 9H-GLOBL, has landed at a major airport since it was brought out of retirement to be refurbished ahead of proposed transatlantic flights.
The plane later took off for Berlin.
The Independent has not been able to ascertain the purpose of the flights, but one possibility is that the aircraft is being used to transport passengers from Barcelona to Berlin at the end of their cruise. Hi Fly, the carrier that is operating the Global Airlines plane, performs many such options.
If this is the case, it will also be the first time that the aircraft has been in revenue service.
The flight comes 13 days before the inaugural transatlantic flight, scheduled to depart from Glasgow to New York JFK at 11am on Thursday 15 May.
Global Airlines was founded by an entrepreneur, James Asquith, in 2021. The carrier promises “a new era of commercial air travel” and “fast relief from the aches and pains associated with commercial air travel”.
But plans to fly regular scheduled services across the Atlantic from London Gatwick to JFK have faltered. The first US-bound flight, and a second later in May from Manchester, will be fixed-duration charters. Tickets from Glasgow are priced at £778 return.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “As the first Global owned A380 prepares to take to the skies with its first passengers, the Global team and partners have achieved what many thought was impossible and are now focused on the next phase of development.
“Global intends to introduce further widebody aircraft in 2025 before announcing a timeline for scheduled operations.
“During the past year, Global has successfully inducted one A380 into service, and is now progressing with the acquisitions of further A380 aircraft scheduled for entry into service.”
The flight to Barcelona and onwards to Berlin took place shortly after Global Airlines announced that former Etihad CEO James Hogan will become a “strategic adviser” and shareholder in Global Airlines.
Mr Hogan headed up the Abu Dhabi-based carrier for 11 years to 2017. He was replaced after a disastrous series of minority investments in smaller airlines.
