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At a Glance…
Hi Fly is a wet lease charter airline based in Lisbon and Malta. Founded in 2005 as a single aircraft operation, it expanded significantly by 2018 to become a recognised global leader in widebody aircraft wet leasing. The airline steadily increased its Airbus fleet and built a reputation for safety, operational performance and reliability within the ACMI and charter market.
To support its expanding fleet and international crew requirements, Hi Fly engaged AeroProfessional in 2008 to recruit flight deck crew, cabin crew, engineers and ground personnel across its A319, A330, A340 and A380 fleet. Since then, AeroProfessional has continued to provide crew contracting and aviation recruitment support, establishing a long term partnership that remains in place today.
The Situation...
With increasing demand across its wet lease and ACMI operations, Hi Fly required expansion of its flight crew, engineering and ground personnel to support additional aircraft deployment. To meet this demand and maintain service continuity for its airline clients, Hi Fly partnered with AeroProfessional for specialised aviation recruitment and crew contracting services. In addition to sourcing qualified flight deck and cabin crew, AeroProfessional provided contracting solutions supported by its international payroll service, ensuring compliant employment structures for newly appointed pilots.
AeroProfessional specialises in aviation recruitment and crew contracting for airlines operating across global markets. With an established network of experienced flight crew, engineers and aviation professionals, the consultancy supports airlines requiring scalable workforce solutions, contract crew supply and international payroll administration.
In 2008, Hi Fly and AeroProfessional formalised their collaboration to source pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and engineers across multiple aircraft types. As Hi Fly expanded its widebody fleet and global operations, AeroProfessional implemented targeted sourcing strategies to maintain a steady pipeline of qualified aviation personnel aligned with operational demand.
The Solution...
In addition to utilising its established aviation candidate network, AeroProfessional launched a Hi Fly branded recruitment campaign to attract additional flight deck crew, cabin crew, engineers and ground personnel. Tailored advertisements were published across targeted aviation platforms to engage relevant audiences within the global contract crew market. The campaign generated strong engagement and a significant volume of applications across all operational disciplines.
AeroProfessional managed the full search and selection process, reviewing qualifications, Type Ratings and operational experience to shortlist candidates aligned with Hi Fly’s fleet and wet lease requirements. Applications were received from multiple international markets, supporting Hi Fly’s global ACMI operations.
Following selection, AeroProfessional coordinated pilot and cabin crew assessments to ensure compliance with operational and regulatory standards. Interviews and technical discussions were arranged for engineering and ground personnel to confirm suitability for deployment.
Successful candidates were formally engaged under AeroProfessional’s crew contracting structure and sub-leased to Hi Fly. Contract crew benefited from dedicated contractor care and international payroll support, ensuring compliant employment and workforce continuity within Hi Fly’s widebody wet lease operation.
The Results...
AeroProfessional’s targeted recruitment campaigns generated a strong pipeline of qualified contract crew aligned with Hi Fly’s wet lease and widebody operations. In addition to sourcing pilots, engineers and ground personnel, AeroProfessional’s dedicated contractor care and HR support ensured workforce stability, allowing Hi Fly to concentrate on aircraft deployment and client operations.
At the time, AeroProfessional had successfully recruited 150 pilots, 5 engineers and 16 ground staff for Hi Fly under its crew contracting structure. Since the partnership began in 2008, Hi Fly’s workforce has expanded to more than 1,200 aviation professionals, with a significant proportion supplied through AeroProfessional’s aviation recruitment and international payroll model. Ongoing flight crew recruitment initiatives, including international sourcing campaigns and recruitment events, supported fleet expansion across multiple aircraft types.
The long-term collaboration continues to support Hi Fly’s operational performance. Now Portugal’s largest private airline, Hi Fly maintains 99.7 percent dispatch reliability across its fleet, reflecting the stability of its contract crew model and workforce continuity. AeroProfessional’s continued provision of flight deck, cabin crew, engineering and ground personnel has reinforced a scalable crew contracting partnership that remains active today.
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Empower
Growth
While we have provided valuable aviation personnel solutions to many clients over the years, our long-standing relationship with Hi Fly is without doubt our most successful to date. Spanning 16 years, we feel as part of the airline as any other of their internal departments. We truly understand Hi Fly’s culture and goals, and we make them our absolute priority in everything we do for the airline.
Sam Sprules
Managing Director
AeroProfessional
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AeroProfessional is not only the broker that we use to find flight crew, but they are certainly among the best. In the 11 years we have worked with AeroProfessional, the partnership between our companies has grown very strong. They are a capable business who we can rely on to provide the volume and quality of candidates we require, and their worldwide reach means that they can support our operators on a global basis.
Board of Directors
Hi Fly
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