Global Airlines has rapidly become one of the most talked about start-ups in modern aviation, thanks to its bold decision to revive the Airbus A380. Thomas Haynes joins one of the carrier’s first transatlantic flights and speaks in depth with founder James Asquith about the story so far

Few aviation dreams are more audacious than starting an airline – let alone one built around the world’s largest passenger jet. But for 36-year-old former investment banker James Asquith that bold ambition is now a reality with the launch of Global Airlines.

At 11.33am on May 15, Airbus A380841, 9H-GLOBL (c/n 120), lifted off into the clear blue skies above Glasgow, Scotland, bound for the Big Apple. This moment had been more three years in the making, and was the realisation of a near 30-year dream for Asquith.

Very few airline start-ups in recent memory have sparked as much curiosity – or controversy – as Global Airlines. Its twists and turns have fuelled no shortage of industry speculation, with much of the attention centred on its all-A380 model and promises of an elevated experience even for economy passengers. But while questions about its business model persist, this article focuses not on what might come next – but on how the airline got to this point, and what it’s like to fly on board. The airline’s founder is more qualified than most to judge what makes a good airline from a passenger’s perspective. At the age of 25, he became the youngest person ever to visit every country in the world – for which he received an official Guinness World Record. So it’s fair to say that he has tried and tested many of the airlines in the world.

Founder and CEO James Asquith

ALL IMAGES KEY-THOMAS HAYNES UNLESS STATED

BELOW: Global Airlines A380-841, 9H-GLOBL (c/n 120), departs Manchester bound for New York on May 21, 2025

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The journey

But how did Global go from a dream to the reality of an A380 flying passengers across the pond? It’s a question the author put to Asquith in an exclusive in-depth interview on the second-ever

transatlantic flight to New York on May 21. Seated in the first-class cabin on the lower deck, he detailed the seemingly nightmarish process it has taken just to get one aircraft off the ground and into limited service.

It all began when Asquith stumbled upon an online article about an airline planning to retire its Airbus A380 fleet. “I got a push from the chief pilot, a good friend of mine, who knew I wanted to start an airline. He said, ‘Now’s the best time – during COVID’,” Asquith recalled.

Global’s A380 parked up at Manchester ahead of its flight to New York

Spurred on, he reached out to the airline’s board and offered to buy one of their A380s. “And that’s how it all started,” he said. In the end, Global never actually took delivery of that particular aircraft. Asquith declined to name the airline, but around that time, carriers such as Air France, China Southern Airlines, Hi Fly Malta, Malaysia Airlines, and Thai Airways International all retired their A380 fleets.