Start-up airline Global Crossing, or GlobalX, has taken delivery of its first aircraft. The A320 arrived at its new base, Miami International Airport (MIA), in the afternoon on Sunday, January 17th. The arrival brings the carrier one step closer to gaining FAA certification.
A step on the path to certification
While much is doom and gloom in the world of aviation right now, there are also intermittent causes for celebration. Upon landing, the first GlobaX liveried A320-200 was greeted with a ceremonial water cannon salute. The event was commemorated with speeches by the airline’s and Airbus America’s CEOs.
“We are thrilled to take delivery of our first A320 aircraft here at our base at MIA. We are building our airline around Airbus with the A320 and 321 in passenger configuration, and later this year with the first of many A321 cargo aircraft,” said Ed Wegel, Chairman and CEO of Global Crossing, in a statement shared with Simple Flying.
“We hope to operate the Airbus A330 aircraft as well. Today is a testament to the outstanding work of the GlobalX team as we continue to certify as a US flag carrier,” Mr Wegel continued, refering on future widebody plans for his airline.
The Airbus A320 arrives to a celebratory water cannon salute! // #globalx @iflymia pic.twitter.com/BBqzAozVBM
— GlobalX Airlines (@globalxairlines) January 17, 2021
GlobalX’s first A320 of 2005 vintage is leased from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Capital. It arrived fresh from the paintshop, wearing its new carrier’s blue and green livery. It seats 180 passengers in an all-economy configuration. The airline says it will deploy it on charter services across the US, the Carribbean and South America.
First A321 to join shortly
The carrier is now awaiting FAA certification to commence operations, which it expects will receive towards the end of March. It is also expecting one more Airbus narrowbody, an A321, scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2021. Also built in 2005, it is leased from Estonian-based Magnetic Leasing and previously belonged to Vietnam Airlines.
“We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the leadership and team at GlobalX for their trust in Airbus and our A320 aircraft family. It’s an honor to welcome a new A320 and A321 operator in North America and support them throughout their expansion,” Airbus Americas Chairman and CEO Jeff Knittel said in a statement.
Operating out of Florida and New Jersey
The charter-start-up hoping to make a mark in the coming year will operate from two bases – MIA and Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) in New Jersey. GlobalX hopes to grow its fleet from two to ten or 15 of A320 family aricraft. As its CEO stated, the new entrant airline has hopes to add an A330 to its certificate, although this would be at least a couple of years into the future.
What do you make of the future for GlobalX out of MIA and ACY? Will it make a success of operations as demand begins to return? Tell us what you think in the comment section.
