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March 28, 2024
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UPDATE August 16 – German leisure airline Condor has announced an order for 41 Airbus A320neo family aircraft on July 25. The order comes just days after the Farnborough Airshow, from which Airbus returned home with three orders for ‘just’ 85 aircraft. The Condor order wasn’t ready for signing there, although AirInsight learned last Thursday that something was to be announced today. Airbus gets post-Farnborough order from Condor for A320neo family aircraft.

Condor has ordered thirteen A320neo’s and 28 A321neo’s. They will replace the sixteen A320ceo’s that have an average age of almost eighteen years, the A321ceo’s (average age just over eight years), as well as the Boeing 757. Condor, which is in the process of repainting its fleet with a striking new livery, operates thirteen 757-300s that are over 23 years. The A321neo order doesn’t include the A321XLR, often seen as the ideal replacement for the 757.

New aircraft leased and bought

The new aircraft will be partly sourced from lessors and partly from direct orders, but Condor nor Airbus is willing to provide further details of how many will be leased and bought. First deliveries are scheduled for spring 2024. Although unconfirmed, this is an indication that the first ones will be on lease as Airbus is sold out on the A321neo line until 2027. Unless it is offering some of the fifty production slots that were originally reserved for Qatar Airways before Airbus unilaterally terminated the contract in January as part of its dispute over the A350s.

The renewal of the medium-haul fleet immediately follows that of the long-haul fleet. This fall, the carrier will start replacing its 767-300s with the Airbus A330-900, of which seven will be purchased and nine leased. The last A330-900 is expected to join Condor in early 2024. “After we will have renewed our entire long-haul fleet by early 2024, it will be a logical next step to renew our short- and medium-haul fleet too”, says Condor CEO Ralf Teckentrup in a media statement.

Fleet renewal is a key ingredient for Condor to reduce its carbon footprint and lower its emissions. It consistently refers to the A330-900 as a “two-liter aircraft”, as it is burning two liters of kerosene per passenger per 100 kilometers. The A320neo family will bring this down to 1.9 liters, the A321neo to even 1.7 liters. Condor has selected the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan to power the neo’s, which are ready to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in the future.

?UPDATE August 16

Air Lease Corporation (ALC) announced on August 16 that it will lease seventeen A321neo and two A320neo to Condor from its existing portfolio. Deliveries are scheduled from 2024 through mid-2027.

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Active as a journalist since 1987, with a background in newspapers, magazines, and a regional news station, Richard has been covering commercial aviation on a freelance basis since late 2016.
Richard is contributing to AirInsight since December 2018. He also writes for Airliner World, Aviation News, Piloot & Vliegtuig, and Luchtvaartnieuws Magazine. Twitter: @rschuur_aero.

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