Germany’s Condor orders 16 A330-900s

Condor (DE, Frankfurt Int’l) has ordered sixteen A330-900s to renew its widebody fleet, with the first aircraft expected to deliver from autumn 2022 and all sixteen by mid-2024.

A spokeswoman for the German leisure carrier told ch-aviation seven aircraft have been bought and financed while the other nine will be leased through several lessors.

The A330neo will be configured with a three-class layout, including business, premium economy, and economy cabins. Condor did not, however, provide any further details concerning exact seating capacity.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Condor’s current widebody fleet comprises fifteen B767-300(ER)s, which are 25.8 years old on average. The airline owns one of the aircraft and dry leases the remaining fourteen from Castlelake (eight), AerCap (three), GECAS (two), and Fortress Ireland Leasing (one). The airline also operates twelve A320-200s, ten A321-200s, and thirteen B757-300s.

Condor has identified fleet renewal as one of its most pressing issues when looking for a new investor following the collapse of former parent Thomas Cook Group in September 2019. Initially, the required capital injection was due to come from the Polish Aviation Group – PGL, the state-owned parent of LOT Polish Airlines, which agreed to buy Condor in January 2020. However, the deal subsequently fell through due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, UK private equity firm Attestor Capital signed a deal to acquire a 51% stake in Condor in May 2021. The new majority owner said it would spearhead a rapid fleet renewal drive for the airline.