Condor Adds Airbus A320neo Aircraft To Fleet

A couple of years ago, German leisure airline Condor announced plans to refresh its narrow body fleet, and the airline has now taken delivery of its first of these jets.

Condor refreshes narrow body fleet with A320neo family

In July 2022, Condor placed an order for 41 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, in order to refresh its short and medium haul fleet. Condor placed a firm order for 13 Airbus A320neos and 28 Airbus A321neos, plus additional purchase rights.

There’s now a major update, as Condor has just taken delivery of its very first Airbus A320neo, representing the first jet in the carrier’s narrow body fleet modernization project. The plan is for all 41 aircraft to join Condor’s fleet by 2029.

As you’d expect, this Airbus A320neo features Condor’s very distinctive livery. The plane has the registration code D-ANCZ, and it’s expected to enter service as of May 15, with the first route being from Frankfurt (FRA) to Palma de Mallorca (PMI).

For context, Condor’s narrow body fleet previously consisted of 16 Airbus A320s, 10 Airbus A321s, and 13 Boeing 757-300s. So we’re seeing a more than 1:1 replacement, and by my math we’ll even see a slight capacity increase. The new A320neo family aircraft have 20% less fuel consumption, 50% less noise, and better range, than the planes Condor is replacing.

This development follows Condor having fully refreshed its long haul fleet. In mid-2021, Condor ordered 16 Airbus A330-900neos. These planes have already all joined Condor’s fleet, and have replaced the carrier’s Boeing 767s, which have all been retired.

Not only do these A330-900neos have great economics, but they feature hugely improved cabins, with fully flat business class featuring direct aisle access.

It’s simply incredible to see how Condor is reinventing itself. In just a few years, Condor fully replaced its wide body fleet, and now we’ll see the same with the narrow body fleet.

What to expect onboard Condor’s A320neos

Condor is increasingly going head-to-head against Lufthansa in more markets, rather than focusing exclusively on leisure routes. It’s awesome to see this transition, as it brings a bit more competition to Germany.

While Condor’s long haul product is now pretty competitive, what’s the short haul product like on the A320neos? Condor is equipped A320neos with 180 seats, in a 3-3 configuration. This is the same number of seats the airline has on its classic A320s, and for that matter, it’s the same number of seats Lufthansa has on its A320neos.

What should passengers expect onboard?

• For the first time, Condor is offering inflight connectivity on short and medium haul flights, through the FlyConnect program, offering free streaming entertainment and Wi-Fi for purchase
• The cabin has an updated design, with mood lighting, and the same striped concept you’ll find on the outside of the aircraft
• The cabin features larger overhead bins, not that carry-on capacity is as much of an issue in Europe as in the United States
• As is standard on flights within Europe, business class consists of economy seats with blocked middles, and the size of the cabin varies based on demand on a particular flight; there will also finally be a divider between cabins, which wasn’t previously the case
• The seats have USB-A outlets, but no USB-C or AC power outlets

This seems like a nice improvement over Condor’s old narrow body experience…

Bottom line

Condor has 41 A320neo and A321neo aircraft on order, with the first jet having just been delivered. The airline will be taking delivery of these planes through 2029, and they’ll be used to replace the carrier’s A320, A321, and 757 fleet. This complements Condor having recently refreshed its wide body fleet with A330-900neos, fully replacing the previous generation 767s.

I’m happy to see Condor’s continued evolution. These A320neos should represent a nice improvement over the old jets.

What do you make of Condor’s Airbus A320neos?