Global Airlines to face liquidation proceedings

LONDON - British A380 start-up Global Airlines is facing its final chapter as the High Court ordered a liquidation of the company upon a creditor petition. Global Airlines has only taken to the skies four times last year with its sole aircraft kept in long-term storage in France since July 2025.

The court notice to start a liquidation process against Global Airways was issued 4 November 2026 after a Florida-based creditor formally petitioned for the company's wind-up by the end of May 2026.

Global Airways had commissioned a retired Airbus A380 from China Southern Airlines from storage. MSN120 was meant to build the backbone of a high-capacity charter operation - Global Airlines flagged demand among cruise ship operators for longhaul guest transfers.

Global Airlines never became an actual airline. While management intented to obtain an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), this never materialised. The company ultimately partnered with Malta-based HiFly.

In May 2025 the 9H-GLOBL did operate a set of transatlantic flights under the Global Airlines banner from Glasgow and Manchester to New York and back.

Following these May 2025 sorties, the aircraft was first parked in Dresden, Germany, and placed into long-term storage at Tarbes, France, by July 2025. It has not left Tarbes ever since. The liquidation order was first reported by aviation news website "One Mile at a Time" (OMAAT).