Exclusive: Global Airlines A380 Grounding Explained by CEO, 139 Days

(FRANCE) Global Airlines’ sole Airbus A380 has now spent 139 days on the ground at Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport in southern France, a long pause that its chief executive says comes down to one stubborn problem: maintenance availability and scheduling for the giant jet.

The aircraft, registered 9H-GLOBL, returned to storage in Tarbes on July 16, 2025, after a short burst of commercial flying earlier in the year. As of December 2, 2025, it has not flown a single new passenger sector for Global Airlines, raising fresh questions about the startup carrier’s plans, costs, and ability to keep such a complex aircraft reliably in the air.

Why the A380 is grounded

In an exclusive interview with aviation outlet Simple Flying, Global Airlines CEO James Asquith confirmed that the A380 remains grounded because the heavy work it needs has not been slotted into maintenance facilities fast enough. He pointed directly to the tight market for approved A380 checks, saying this bottleneck has turned what was supposed to be a temporary pause into extended storage.

“Due to maintenance availability, an extended grounding ensued, which has since turned into aircraft storage,” Asquith said.
“After completing the latest maintenance in Dresden, 9H-GLOBL will be heading to Tarbes to park until it is time to head off to the next stage of heavy maintenance… it won’t be long before it is up in the clouds once again.”

This statement underlines how dependent Global Airlines is on third‑party providers that can still handle an A380 at scale. With only a handful of operators in the world still flying the double‑deck type, and many maintenance shops shifting resources to newer models, finding a slot for deep checks has become a puzzle even for large carriers — let alone for a newcomer with a single aircraft.

Timeline of recent events

• May 15, 2025 — Global Airlines launched its debut transatlantic passenger service using the A380 from Glasgow to New York JFK, attracting attention for the bold move.
• May–July 2025 — The aircraft completed only two return flights on the Glasgow–New York route, plus some positioning and test flights to other European cities.
• July 16, 2025 — 9H-GLOBL returned to storage in Tarbes after maintenance activity in Dresden, Germany.
• As of December 2, 2025 — The A380 has not flown a new passenger sector for Global Airlines.

Maintenance path and current location

• The jet was ferried to Dresden, Germany, for maintenance and further tests. According to Asquith, heavy checks there did not progress fast enough to allow a quick return to paying operations.
• Once the Dresden work reached its latest stage, Global Airlines moved the aircraft to Tarbes, where Tarmac Aerosave stores and parts out large aircraft, including retired A380s from other carriers.

Costs and operational pressures

Parking an A380 in long‑term storage is never cheap. Even without daily flight costs, operators still face:

• Storage fees
• Preservation tasks
• Insurance
• Planning and costs for eventual reactivation

For a startup airline with almost no other flying activity, that financial pressure is sharp. Every extra day on the ground increases scrutiny from industry watchers and potential partners.

Wider maintenance market constraints

Aviation specialists have long warned that the A380, impressive as it is, can be a heavy burden for a small carrier:

• The aircraft’s size demands high load factors to make flights economically viable.
• The support network has shrunk since many major airlines retired their fleets.
• Maintenance providers for the A380 are described as “thin and highly booked”, especially for full heavy checks, cabin refits, and major system work (VisaVerge.com).

Industry observers note that large checks are often booked many months ahead. Smaller customers can be pushed back when larger fleets need urgent work. In that environment, a carrier like Global Airlines has limited power to lock in the exact week its A380 will roll out of a hangar ready for another transatlantic season.

Passenger impact and immigration implications

The long grounding has raised questions from passengers who followed Global Airlines’ early promises of regular Europe–U.S. service. While the airline has not publicly linked the situation to border or entry problems, extended schedule gaps can lead to:

• Cancelled trips
• Rebookings on other airlines
• Changed travel dates that affect visa timings and planned stays

People dealing with such changes often turn to official guidance, for example:

• France’s service-public.fr for entry rules
• U.S. arrival/departure records like Form I-94

Symbolism of Tarbes and industry perception

The choice of Tarbes as the storage site carries symbolic weight. The airport has become known as a resting place for A380s at the end of their commercial lives, with several frames from major airlines gradually dismantled there.

• Parking 9H-GLOBL among these aircraft has led some commentators to question whether the aircraft might follow the same path.
• Asquith has framed Tarbes as a practical solution, a safe location where the aircraft can wait until its next heavy maintenance stage is ready to begin elsewhere.

Broader implications for the A380 and new entrants

The episode highlights the broader A380 story:

• When Airbus launched the superjumbo, many expected it to anchor long‑haul growth for decades.
• Instead, twin‑engine long‑range jets became dominant, and the A380 became a niche product.
• For airlines that still want to fly it, maintenance availability has become a key test: scarce hangars, parts, and trained engineers mean each unplanned delay can produce long stretches on the ground — as Global Airlines is experiencing now.

Current status and outlook

• Global Airlines has not announced a firm date for when 9H-GLOBL will again carry paying passengers.
• The company stresses the current phase is about finishing the right maintenance tasks in the right order.
• Asquith remains positive, insisting the jet will return to service once the next heavy work is cleared and framing the Tarbes stay as temporary.

The company’s next move on the A380 will show whether the long grounding was simply a rough early chapter or an early sign that flying a single superjumbo on transatlantic routes may be more difficult than its founders expected.

As December 2025 moves on with 9H-GLOBL still parked in France, Global Airlines remains under close watch from industry analysts, future customers, and competing carriers.