Hi Fly: The Portuguese ACMI Airline and the Return of the Airbus A380

History and positioning

Founded in 2005 as a wet lease specialist, Hi Fly operates a model in which other airlines or event organizers charter aircraft and crew under contract, instead of selling seats under its own brand on a continuous basis: a niche different from that of a traditional scheduled airline.

The fleet

Hi Fly is known for having bought second-hand Airbus A380s retired by other carriers, alongside Airbus A330-200 and A330-300s used for long-haul wet lease contracts on an occasional basis; the makeup of the fleet often changes depending on the contracts active at a given time.

Routes and network

There is no fixed scheduled network: routes depend entirely on the airline or event under contract. In 2025 this included an A380 charter flight between Glasgow and New York JFK and wet lease contracts to cover the summer long-haul peaks of some European carriers.

What passengers say

Since passengers fly on an A380 or A330 in Hi Fly livery while having bought the ticket from another airline, most online reviews actually describe the product of the airline holding the commercial contract, making a direct comparison based on reviews of little use for Hi Fly as such.

Hi Fly is not an airline that most travelers look for or book directly; it makes sense to discuss it for aviation enthusiasts who want to understand which chartered aircraft a certain flagship summer flight uses, or for those who notice an unusual reference on their booking confirmation. If your confirmation lists Hi Fly as the operating carrier, check-in, baggage and customer assistance are still handled by the airline from which you actually bought the ticket, not by Hi Fly.