I honestly want to make up a joke proposal and see if the same journalists would fall for it. Transatlantic shared air taxi service. Cessna Crusaders flying from every airport in the UK to LA via Stornoway, Akureyi, Ilulissat, Iqaluit, Churchill, ...

I reckon that if it takes off I could built up to a fleet of 300.

Seems highly likely.

CNN:

The A380 was nearly extinct. Now a new airline says it’s building a superjumbo-only fleet

.
It’s a rare used-market move for an aircraft that passengers adore but that airlines have struggled to turn profitable due to its operating and maintenance cost, as well as its huge size.

“It’s a fantastic aircraft when you use it in the right way and on the right routes,” says Global Airlines CEO James Asquith. “We will be looking to invest significant amounts on refurbishing the A380 we already have and the future ones that we’re looking to bring into the fleet.”

Asquith previously founded Holiday Swap, a home-swapping travel platform which is also Global’s parent company, and he holds the Guinness world record for the youngest person to visit every country in the world.

“I’ve flown on about 280 different airlines and sat there seeing what’s good, what doesn’t work and what can be improved,” he says. “We’ve structured this in a way that financially allows us to do a lot of the exciting things that no new airline that isn’t government-funded has been able to do in the last 40 years.”

[have not included URL - Google the headline for the story, datelined 22JUN]

Remember him strutting around EGTK many times.

3 more A380's aquired taking total to 4 with Spring 24 start date for ops.

"with more coming in 2024", according to the website.

Where it has proved most successful is in big hubs - Dubai, London and to an extent (although diminishing) Singapore - where there is incredibly strong transfer traffic.

I'd suggest that this is perhaps the most significant news from Global - and will determine if it ever moves from being a paper project to a real airline. Certainly without an AOC the spring 2024 launch seems highly dubious. But first, it is going to need cash. Lots of it.

LONDON, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Matthew Brown, a U.S. based investor in the aviation and renewable energy spaces, has today agreed to advise James Asquith, CEO of Global Airlines, as the airline prepares to launch transatlantic services in spring 2024 and considers further aircraft acquisitions.

Brown has advised significant U.S. institutions on clean energy financing. In addition, he holds a number of advisory positions including with the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) at the University of California, Berkeley and the Wind Institute (NWI) at Texas Tech University. He is an activate investor and advisor in the space industry, as well, and through his commitment to sustainable development, he has personally invested over $1B USD toward achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Goals.

These folks are going to burn cash like it’s gone out of fashion. Wrong aircraft before even starting.

Note - this is an 'advisory board', not an executive board. There is a clear difference there, even though he makes is out to be quite different.

Twin Aisle - is it not odd that a key investor is one who has invested millions in sustainable UN SDG's. How does that tally with a start-up airline using last-generation tech aircraft which are now third-hand?

Investor or advisor - has anybody put any money into this rather than putting their hand out for an advisory role?

A lot of work ahead if they're to launch in Spring 2024.

1. How many pilots are required for the operation?
2. Again how many cabin crew to hire and train in time who will train them and where?
3. Catering? Ordering all the logo equipment. Setting up contractors where ever they fly to?
4. Ground staff handling at airports.
5. Engineering, that's a big one to sort out.
6. Uniforms?
7. Route structure and base.

I can't think of anything else, but I'm sure those more qualified will add to the list.

Before any of this, they need to raise a ****-ton of money, get an AOC and an Operating Licence. Then I add to your list:

CRS
Distribution technology
CCDC processing
Anti-fraud systems
Revenue management systems
Revenue recognition and reconciliation systems
Staff and duty travel systems/policies
CAMO
Operations Control
Maintrol
A finance system
A payroll bureau
Route licences
A call centre
Slots
About a zillion contracts for catering (over and above the equipment you rightly mentioned), ground handling (above and below the wing), technical handling, airports…
Marketing agencies and media buyers
Flight crew training and simulator providers
Paint shops
Fuel contracts
Interior refit specialists (and that interior is going to be millions per aircraft - and may even be tens of millions given the power demands of “gamer class”)

And that’s off the top of my head.

Interesting to see the aircraft is in Lourdes. They’ll need a whole load of miracles.

This is the sort of pie in the sky nonsense that makes Halstead and Unsworth sound rational.

[QUOTE Twin Aisle - is it not odd that a key investor is one who has invested millions in sustainable UN SDG's. How does that tally with a start-up airline using last-generation tech aircraft which are now third-hand?[/QUOTE]

I believe very little that comes out of this operation. If you read this stuff as guff, all else makes sense :)

Why are so many people willing to be associated with it as 'advisors?' Surely anyone with even a bit of understanding of this industry will see how difficult it will be for this venture.

I’m sceptical. But im impressed with the CV of the CCO. Lots of relevant experience and a lot of contacts. Including being communications director at the CAA for nearly 6 years.

I remember when BA were looking at leasing 2nd hand Airbus A380s, the cost of retrofitting one aircraft was put at $50 million.

Boeing: StartupBoeing

I know its Boeing, but here a nice overview for your start up airline ideas..

Yeah, that covers about half of their challenges…. Note that Boeing don’t mention commercial systems, CRS, payment processing, finance systems, etc etc etc….

Spot on! But I think that getting an AOC and a viable operation before summer 2024 might be above even HIS pay grade! :)