The airline HiSky has successfully completed the first of the three stages required by the authorization procedure, for the operation of flights in the United States of America. With the completion of the process and obtaining the Foreign Air Transport Operator's Permit issued by the US Department of Transportation, HiSky will be able to operate regular and charter flights overseas, departing from any airport in Europe.
Two months until the announcement of the first routes from Europe to the USA
Given the results of the steps taken to date, it is possible that approval will be granted sooner than originally communicated, with the airline currently estimating a period of approximately two months until the first transatlantic flights are announced.
"We are very close to reaching this new target in our development, after the first million passengers, the first new A321 aircraft registered in Romania, obtaining the status of the main charter operator and no less than 22 successfully operated routes, from Romania and the Republic of Moldova. If everything goes as we expect, by the end of summer we will already open the first routes to the USA. Earning the trust of passengers is not an easy thing to do for a newly established airline. However, I believe that in the last two years we have done things the right way, so that today we have managed to have a significant market share in the destinations we operate. In this context, we are sure that obtaining the permit for transatlantic flights is an important step in strengthening our legitimacy in the regional market.", Iulian Scorpan, CEO of HiSky.
The flights will be operated with Airbus A321neo LR
The operation of flights to the USA has become an integrated part of HiSky's strategy with the introduction of two Airbus A321neo aircraft into the fleet at the beginning of this year. This type of aircraft offers the longest flight range in its class, up to 7.400 km. The new capability allows the airline to operate transoceanic flights with a single refueling stop in Western Europe.
HiSky will thus become the first private airline to introduce direct flights from Romania to the USA. In addition, in the context of the liberalization of the air transport market, as a result of the signing, in May, of the "Open Skies" agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the USA, Moldovan citizens will be able to fly, for the first time in history, directly from Chisinau to the United States .
The HiSky company was established in 2020 and operates direct international flights from Romania departing from the airports of Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi and Baia Mare to Barcelona, Malaga, Tel Aviv, Brussels, Paris and Dublin.
From the Republic of Moldova, passengers can travel with HiSky to eight foreign destinations: Milan, Paris, Dublin, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Rome, Bologna and Venice. At the same time, through cooperation with the main travel agencies, the airline has become, in the last year, the most important operator of charter flights to holiday destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa.