Hi Fly Malta takes maiden A330-300

Although Airbus cancelled the development of the A380-800(F) without ever having built a single one, ACMI/charter specialist Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) has now converted its only A380-800 into a makeshift freighter as a part of post-COVID strategic changes.

The Maltese airline, a subsidiary of Hi Fly (5K, Beja), announced that it has removed nearly all 399 economy class seats from both the main and the upper decks of 9H-MIP (msn 6). Following the cabin modification carried out by Lufthansa Technik, the quadjet can now carry nearly 60 tonnes of cargo spread across its bellyhold, overhead lockers, on around one-third of its main deck, and around two-thirds of its upper deck.

Hi Fly Malta has however retained all 60 business class seats and all 12 first class seats onboard the A380.

Hi Fly's A380 is the world's only A380 transferred to a new operator via the second-hand market. The 13.7-year-old double-decker was originally delivered to Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi).

Lufthansa Technik's new technical and engineering services for temporary operational changes have garnered significant market interest and it is now working on the first A380-800 passenger-cargo conversion for an undisclosed customer. So far, the company's cabin modification team has received enquiries from more than 40 airlines and over 15 projects for different aircraft types are already in the implementation phase.

In its statement, the company said that securing the contract to complete an operational change of the first A380 was "a special highlight." In terms of trying to determine the customer, 15 airlines currently operate the double decker, according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module. These are: Air France; ANA - All Nippon Airways; Asiana Airlines; British Airways; China Southern Airlines; Emirates; Etihad Airways; Hi Fly Malta; Korean Air; Lufthansa; Malaysia Airlines; Qantas; Qatar Airways; Singapore Airlines; and Thai Airways International.

"Over the past days, we have received strong interest from different airlines regarding our passenger to freighter service capabilities," explained...