German holiday carrier Condor has unveiled plans for the modernisation of its narrowbody fleet with next-generation aircraft…
Today’s (July 25) developments came following confirmation by Condor that it will “successively replace” its current single-aisle inventory stable with 41 next-generation Airbus jets, comprising 13 examples of the A320neo and 28 of the larger A321neo, plus purchase rights. The European manufacturer says aircraft from this deal are “via lease and via direct purchase”.
The airline’s inbound A320neos and A321neos will be equipped with Pratt & Whitney powerplants, specifically the PW1127G and PW1133G, respectively. According to Condor, handover of the aircraft is “scheduled for spring 2024” – a timeframe which "immediately" follows the scheduled completion of its long-haul, widebody aircraft replacement (see below).
Ralf Teckentrup, CEO of Condor, commented: "After we will have replaced our entire long-haul fleet with state-of-the-art [Airbus A330neos] by the beginning of 2024, it is the logical next step for us to modernise our short- and medium-haul fleet as well. With our new A320neo and A321neo aircraft, we are consistently developing our fleet and ourselves as a company, and also taking care of our own aspiration to enable responsible and at the same time comfortable travel with significantly reduced CO2 emissions, significantly lower fuel consumption and less noise."
Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer and head of Airbus International, added: “Following Condor’s earlier decision to order the A330neo for its long-haul network, we are double grateful the airline has now also selected the Airbus A320neo Family to modernise its single-aisle-fleet following a thorough evaluation process. We are proud of such a strong vote of confidence and welcome Condor as a future all-Airbus operator.”
This move by Condor with Airbus comes hot on the heels of selecting the A330neo – first revealed back in July 2021 – to modernise its long-haul fleet; the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-powered widebody is scheduled to start joining the German carrier from autumn 2022.
At the time of writing, Condor’s existing fleet is made up of 16 A320ceos, ten A321ceos, 13 examples each of the Boeing 757-300 and 767-300, plus a quartet of A330-200s.
