Hi Fly Malta

Last updated
Hi Fly Malta
Hi Fly logo.svg
9H-TQZ A340.jpg
IATA ICAO Call sign
3LHFMMOONRAKER
Founded2013;12 years ago (2013)
AOC # MT-24
Operating bases Malta International Airport
Fleet size13
Parent company Hi Fly
Headquarters Skyparks Business Centre, Malta International Airport
Website hifly.aero

Hi Fly Malta is a Maltese charter airline based at Malta International Airport and a subsidiary of the Portuguese charter airline Hi Fly.

Contents

History

Hi Fly Malta started operations in early 2013 with one Airbus A340-600 formerly operated by Virgin Atlantic with one more pre-owned on order [1] [2] and planned to start scheduled operations to destinations in North America. During 2015, all of the airlines' aircraft had been stored and in May 2015 the A340-600s were sold to Al Naser Airlines, a front company for Mahan Air. [3]

Hi Fly Malta was reactivated in September with the re-registration of one A340-300 from the parent Portuguese company on the Maltese Business Registry and a second A340-300 was added in early 2016 that had previously flown for SriLankan Airlines. [4] Several former Emirates A340-300 airframes were added in 2017.

In the summer of 2018, Hi Fly became the first airline to buy a secondhand Airbus A380 (flown previously by Singapore Airlines), placing an order for two. In autumn 2017, Hi Fly, in a sponsorship of the Turn the Tide on Plastic yacht team in the Volvo Ocean Race, painted one of its A330s in a livery similar to the yacht, with the port side bearing a dirty oceans livery and the starboard side a clean oceans livery. [5] [6] On 19 July 2018, its newly painted Airbus A380, registered as 9H-MIP, arrived at the Farnborough Airshow, carrying the Save the Coral Reefs livery. [7] Hi-Fly's A380 saw a brief lease to Norwegian Long Haul in August 2018, which operated the aircraft following engine problems with its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. [8] Norwegian leased the A380 again in late 2018 to help deal with the passenger backlog as a result of the Gatwick Airport drone incident. In November 2020, the company announced that the A380 will be retired at the end of its three-year lease period and on 17 December 2020, the A380 made its final flight to Toulouse. [9]

One A319 was chartered to the now-defunct Brazilian Itapemirim Transportes Aéreos. In November 2021, it landed at Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport and re-registered as PS-SIL to be converted to passenger configuration at TAP Hangar, but this never happened. After 3 months in Brazil the aircraft was scheduled to fly back to Europe and had its registration reverted back to 9H-XFW. [10]

Destinations

Hi Fly Malta has no scheduled destinations. Its planes operate on a charter and ACMI basis. One of its Airbus A340-300s (registered 9H-TQM) was reconfigured for Swiss Space Systems prior to its liquidation, and retained a black livery with the Swiss Space Systems logo on the horizontal stabilizer prior to its retirement, [4] while its other airframes are unmarked except for registration.

Fleet

A Hi Fly Malta Airbus A340-300 9H-SUN@PEK (20210502075510).jpg
A Hi Fly Malta Airbus A340-300
Hi Fly Malta's former only Airbus A380-800 with the "Save the Coral Reef" livery Hi Fly (Save the Coral Reefs Livery), 9H-HIP, Airbus A380-841 (49579897746).jpg
Hi Fly Malta's former only Airbus A380-800 with the "Save the Coral Reef" livery

Current fleet

As of August 2025, Hi Fly Malta operates the following aircraft: [11]

Hi Fly Malta fleet
AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
FCWYTotal
Airbus A330-200 6—–1836214268Two units parked/under maintenance.
1431267314
Airbus A330-300 2—–46–203249
–436436
Airbus A340-300 4—1242–213267Two units parked/under maintenance. To be replaced by Airbus A380-800.
–36218254
24267291
Airbus A380-800 1—870–428506Operated for Global Airlines. Replacing the Airbus A340-300
1260399470Currently parked.
Total13—

Former fleet

Hi Fly Malta formerly also operated the following aircraft types:

Hi Fly Malta former fleet
AircraftIntroducedRetiredNotes
Airbus A319-100 [12]
Airbus A321-200 20192021
Airbus A330-900 20192022
Airbus A340-600 20132015

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Hi Fly-ers head to Malta". Times of Malta. 25 February 2013.
  2. ↑ "Hi Fly apply for Air Operator Certificate - The Malta Independent". www.independent.com.mt.
  3. ↑ Mahan Air notice at airliners.de (in German)
  4. 1 2 Kaminski-Morrow2016-04-12T19:52:00+01:00, David. "Hi Fly supplies A340 for commercial zero-gravity flights". Flight Global. Retrieved 27 November 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "New Turn the Tide on Plastic aircraft". Mirpuri Foundation. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Portuguese Hi Fly acquires two used Airbus A380". www.airlive.net. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
  7. ↑ "PICTURES: Colourful Hi Fly A380 makes Farnborough bow". FLIGHTGLOBAL. 19 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Morris, Hugh. "Budget fliers to New York could be upgraded to luxurious first class after Norwegian forced to lease A380". The Telegraph Online. The Telegraph . Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  9. ↑ hifly.aero - A380 Farewell Flight 17 December 2020
  10. ↑ "Airliner lost brazilian license". 10 February 2022.
  11. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Hi Fly Malta". Airliner World. September 2025. p. 66.
  12. ↑ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 20.
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