FRANKFURT—German leisure airline Condor has received approval by its board of directors to buy up to five more Airbus A330-900s.
The airline confirmed the vote July 11, but made clear that it has not placed an order yet and has also not decided how many additional aircraft it may take.
Condor is in the process of replacing its aging Boeing 767-300ER widebody fleet with A330-900s. The airline’s current order with Airbus and lessors is for 18 aircraft, seven of which have been delivered. The remaining 11 units are to arrive by the end of 2024, with all but two planned to be available for the 2024 summer timetable.
The additional five aircraft would represent a significant step up in long-haul capacity for the airline. In addition to the seven A330-900s and remaining seven 767s, Condor currently operates five leased A330-200s which have been taken to manage the fleet transition capacity-wise and with pilot training requirements in mind. The -200s are to be phased out by 2024 along with the Boeing aircraft.
Condor also has 29 A320neo family aircraft on firm order to replace its A320/A321 fleet as well as the remaining nine Boeing 757-300s.
The additional A330-900s would only arrive after the initial 18 aircraft have been delivered, a Condor spokesperson said. Since the airline has received government support in the coronavirus pandemic that still needs to be paid back, Condor has to operate under limitations for passenger volumes and fleet size, among others.
Condor mainly competes with Lufthansa affiliate Eurowings Discover—soon to be rebranded as “Discover” only. The carrier has a fleet of 12 A330-200s and -300s. There is also overlap with Lufthansa mainline as Condor shifted focus somewhat to include destinations such as Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco that are attractive for business travelers, too.
Airbus has collected orders for 285 A330-900s, 99 of which have been delivered. There are also commitments for 12 of the smaller -800s with seven aircraft in service. At the Paris Air Show, Airbus announced orders for six -900s from two undisclosed customers. There have been 664 orders for the A330-200 and 784 for the -300 since the start of the program.
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