Many no longer believed that Condor would really tackle the overdue renewal of its long-haul fleet. But now the German holiday airline is getting started and could receive up to 23 instead of 18 Airbus A330 Neo. Condor has already set the course for this.
First, the insolvency of the former mother Thomas Cook Group thwarted the plans of the German holiday airline, then their own escape under the protective umbrella and the pandemic. But the new owner Attestor changed that.
He and condor announced two years ago the purchase of 16 Airbus A330 Neo to replace the aging Boeing 767. Last October they increased the order – to 18 copies now. The airline gets eleven of the A330-900 from leasing companies, seven from an order directly with Airbus. In the meantime, seven copies are already flying.
“The Board of Directors has approved up to five additional order options for the A330 Neo”
But in Kelsterbach you want more. According to aviation circles, Condor is considering purchasing more Airbus A330-900s. “The supervisory board has approved up to five further order options for the A330 Neo,” a spokeswoman confirmed to aeroTELEGRAPH. However, the aircraft have not yet been officially commissioned.
If Condor exercises all order options, the long-haul fleet would one day consist of 23 Airbus A330-900s. This means that the holiday airline can not only easily replace the four leased A330s, which were deployed as an interim solution until around 2024. It can also reduce reliance on wet lease providers, which have not always received high marks from travelers. More importantly, it can acquire spare capacity and expand its long-haul offering.
Condor is expanding its long-haul fleet
Condor has 310 seats in its Airbus A330-900. 216 are in Economy, 64 in Premium Economy and 30 in Business Class. The airline has installed a kind of mini first class in the first row of business travel class. She calls them Prime Seats. The screens there are significantly larger than those in the other seats. There is also a kind of ottoman at the foot of the seat where another person can sit down. With an accompanying folding table, you can dine together or play something there, for example.
By Stefan Eiselin