Hi Fly (airline)
Encyclopedia
Hi Fly is an airline
with its head office in Lisbon
, Portugal
, which has specialised in the worldwide aircraft lease on medium to long term contracts for airlines, tour operators, governments, companies and individuals. The airline's main centre of flight operations is Portela Airport
.
The airline was founded as Air Luxor in December 1988, a corporate jet charter
department of Mirpuri Group, which was headquartered at Luxor Square in Lisbon
(thus the airline's name). In 1997, the airline was reorganized towards offering commercial charter flights. Scheduled flights were first operated in 2001. In 2003, Air Luxor announced the launch of scheduled low cost flights under the Air Luxor Light branding. When the company suffered from deep financial troubles in late 2005, it was refounded as Hi Fly with new funding from Mirpuri Group, from then on fully concentrating on aircraft lease services.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
with its head office in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, which has specialised in the worldwide aircraft lease on medium to long term contracts for airlines, tour operators, governments, companies and individuals. The airline's main centre of flight operations is Portela Airport
Portela Airport
Lisbon Portela Airport, also known as Lisbon Airport , is an international airport located north of Castle of São Jorge in the city of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal...
.
History
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
department of Mirpuri Group, which was headquartered at Luxor Square in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
(thus the airline's name). In 1997, the airline was reorganized towards offering commercial charter flights. Scheduled flights were first operated in 2001. In 2003, Air Luxor announced the launch of scheduled low cost flights under the Air Luxor Light branding. When the company suffered from deep financial troubles in late 2005, it was refounded as Hi Fly with new funding from Mirpuri Group, from then on fully concentrating on aircraft lease services.
Fleet
As of December 2010, the Hi Fly fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average of 11.9 years:| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | J | Y | Total | ||
| Airbus A310-300 Airbus A310 The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of... |
2 | 0 | 18 | 176 | 194 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 221 | 263 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 288 | 330 |
| Airbus A340-300 | 2 | 34 10 |
35 30 |
195 225 |
264 265 |
| Airbus A340-500 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 201 | 237 |
| Total | 8 | ||||
Fleet development
Over the years, the Air Luxor/Hi Fly fleet consisted of these aircraft types:| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 2009 | |
| Airbus A319-100 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Airbus A320-200 | 2000 | 2006 |
| Airbus A330-200 | 2002 | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 2002 | |
| Airbus A340-300 | 2009 | |
| Airbus A340-500 | 2010 | |
| Boeing 767-200 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Lockheed L-1011 Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed... |
2000 | 2004 |
Incidents and accidents
- On 4 February 1998 at 22:17 local time, an Air SofiaAir SofiaAir Sofia was an airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operated charter flights to destinations in Europe, Africa, the Far East, South America and the Middle East. It also leased and wet leased aircraft to other airlines...
Antonov An-12Antonov An-12The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.-Design and development:...
cargo aircraft (registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
LZ-LFG), which was contracted by Air Luxor for mail transport between mainland Portugal and the AzoresAzoresThe Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, crashed shortly after take-off from Lajes FieldLajes FieldLajes Field or Lajes Air Base , officially designated Air Base No. 4 , is a multi-use air field, home to the Portuguese Air Force Base Aérea Nº4 and Azores Air Zone Command , a United States Air Force detachment , and a regional air passenger terminal located near Lajes...
on Terceira IslandTerceira IslandReferred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
on a flight bound for LisbonLisbonLisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. The accident, in which all seven crew members on board died, occurred because of a failure in the two engines on the right side of the aircraft which led to an uncontrolled stall. - On 10 May 1998, an Air Luxor Lockheed L-1011Lockheed L-1011The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
aircraft enroute from TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Lisbon was hijacked shortly after takeoff, and the pilots demanded to divert the aircraft to the United States. The pilots returned to Toronto instead, where the aircraft was stormed by police forces and the perpetrators could be overpowered, without any notable injuries amongst the passengers and crew on board.