One of the most ambitious new airlines to launch in decades is poised to take flight. The much-anticipated Global Airlines, which has built its brand around elevated customer service and upgraded in-flight comfort on Airbus A380 aircrafts, is planning to operate two round-trip flights from the UK to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International (JFK) next month, founder James Asquith confirmed to Condé Nast Traveler on a call Wednesday.
The UK-based carrier’s inaugural flight is scheduled for May 15, 2025, departing Scotland’s Glasgow International Airport (GLA) at 1 p.m. local time and arriving at JFK airport at 3 p.m as flight Q4808, with a return on May 19 leaving at 8 a.m and arriving at 7:15 p.m on flight Q4809, as reported by Aeroroutes.
The following week, the second flight route will leave from Manchester Airport (MAN) on May 21, also at 1 p.m. and arrive at JFK at 3 p.m. as Q4810, and then return on May 25 at 8:55 a.m., landing back at 8:40 p.m. at Q4811.
The four flights, which each have 506 seats, divided between eight in first class, 17 in business and 428 in economy, “were oversubscribed very quickly for the amount of seats that we have” founder James Asquith tells Traveler on a call Wednesday.
After all, aviation insiders and travel enthusiasts alike have been keeping a keen eye on the start-up airline, especially for its unorthodox business model. Most new airlines start by obtaining an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and then leasing an aircraft, but Global has done the opposite. It bought its own A380s, the first in 2023 and a second in 2024—a notable move since the iconic four-engine, two-deck superjumbo jet, well beloved by aviation enthusiasts, ceased new production back in 2021. “We flipped it and own the aircraft and operate with a partner on the AOC side, which adds a lot of operational credibility,” Asquith says, of Global’s partnership with Hi Fly, a Portuguese charter aviation operations company, which does have an AOC.
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