EFW & GLOBAL AIRLINES SIGN MAJOR HEAVY MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT

Global Airlines’ first A380 will fly to EFW in Dresden

Multi-million-pound deal signed between Global Airlines and EFW

Global plans to fly first passengers in 2025

London & Dresden | 23 September, 2024

Global Airlines, the new all A380 airline, today announced it has teamed up with global MRO specialist, Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), signing a multi-million Euro deal to perform the base maintenance inspection that will enable return to commercial service for its first fully acquired aircraft. 9H-GLOBL will soon fly to Dresden where it will undergo all necessary maintenance, including mandatory inspections and component replacements, before repositioning within Europe for an interior overhaul, ahead of starting operations in 2025.

The aircraft, that flew from the Mojave Desert in California to Prestwick International Airport on 1 May, will now take its next step towards starting operations as the Global project reaches the next stage of development. Extensive return to service work has already been carried out as the aircraft continues its journey back to the skies. Global Airlines and EFW are now working closely with Airbus on flight conditions and the tasks that will be required for the major maintenance. This will now be undertaken as part of a comprehensive deal with EFW.

James Asquith, CEO and Founder of Global Airlines said:

“Joining forces with EFW is the next significant step in our quest to seeing our first A380 in the sky. 9H-GLOBL’s journey back to the skies has taken yet another significant step forward and I am excited to see our first aircraft fly to Dresden for this work to progress. We have overcome significant hurdles over the past 12 months, and we are now very much advancing our proposition, partnerships, team and operational readiness and our partnership with EFW is the latest giant leap forward. I am looking forward to being in Dresden and seeing the work underway.”

“We are glad to support the renaissance of the A380 with our capabilities and maintenance services,” says Jordi Boto, CEO EFW. “We have supported this special aircraft over the years, and we are excited to re-establish our MRO activities on the A380. We really look forward to supporting our new customer Global Airlines with its first A380 and to seeing more aircraft of this type back in the sky.”

Jordi Boto, CEO of EFW said:

“Given our years of experience in servicing the A380, we are excited to re-establish our MRO activities for this unique aircraft. We look forward to supporting our new customer Global Airlines with its first A380 and seeing more aircraft of this type back in the sky.”

Global Airlines is currently working closely with Airbus and various other partners on the planning that will enable 9H-GLOBL to fly to Dresden in the coming weeks. After the work has been carried out, the aircraft will then continue its journey repositioning once more within Europe to undergo an extensive cabin refurbishment, before the first commercial operations in 2025.

ENDS

About Global Airlines

Global Airlines, officially launched in 2023, is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The airline is led by CEO James Asquith and backed by aviation experts and investors around the world. The airline has commenced a fleet development programme with one A380 fully acquired and more to follow. The inaugural passenger flight will take place in 2025. Global Airlines is bold, with a vision to provide the best way to fly, inspired by the golden age of travel. Its core proposition is to deliver an unparallelled customer experience across all cabins and services using the A380 aircraft, the favourite aircraft to fly by travellers.

About EFW

Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), a joint venture of ST Engineering and Airbus, combines various aviation and technology activities under a single roof: development and manufacturing of fibre-reinforced composite components for aircraft structures and interiors of the entire Airbus family, the conversion of passenger aircraft into freighter configuration, maintenance and repair of Airbus aircraft as well as engineering services in the context of certification and approval. The company has a workforce of over 2,000 employees, achieved revenues of approximately €600 million in 2023 and is on a sustainable course of growth. With over 20 years of experience and more than 40 conversion customers worldwide, thereof the largest Express carriers in North America and Europe but also renowned General Freight and Combination Carriers, EFW is the Centre of Excellence for freighter conversions and driving the development of the Airbus freighter family. For more information about EFW, please visit www.efw.aero or follow us on LinkedIn.

ST Engineering is a global technology, defence and engineering group with a diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defence and public security segments. The Group harnesses technology and innovation to solve real-world problems, enabling a more secure and sustainable world. Headquartered in Singapore, it has operations spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., serving customers in more than 100 countries. ST Engineering reported revenue of over $10b in FY2023 and ranks among the largest companies listed on the Singapore Exchange. It is a component stock of MSCI Singapore, FTSE Straits Times Index and Dow Jones Sustainability Asia Pacific Index.

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