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 AnAirbus A330-900 in Condor's livery | |||||||
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| Founded | 21 December 1955; 69 years ago (1955-12-21) (asDeutsche Flugdienst GmbH) | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 29 March 1956; 69 years ago (1956-03-29) | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program |
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| Fleet size | 50 | ||||||
| Destinations | 94[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | Attestor Capital | ||||||
| Headquarters | Neu Isenburg,Hesse,Germany | ||||||
| Key people | Peter Gerber [de] (CEO) | ||||||
| Employees | 4,900+ | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Condor, legally incorporated asCondor FlugdienstGmbH (lit. 'Condor Flight Service'), is aGermanairline based inNeu Isenburg,Hesse. It was established in 1955 withFrankfurt Airport as its main base. Condor offers scheduled andcharter flights and operates, from Germany, medium-haul flights to theMediterranean Basin and theCanary Islands as well as long-haul flights to destinations inAfrica,Asia,North America,South America and theCaribbean. Whereas medium-haul flights are operated from many German airports and Zurich, long-haul flights usually depart fromFrankfurt, with a few charter services operated fromDüsseldorf andMunich.[3]
The airline was originally established asDeutsche Flugdienst GmbH on 21 December 1955. Its initial fleet consisted of three 36-passengerVickers VC.1 Viking aircraft. The airline's first tourist-oriented flight commenced on 29 March 1956. In 1961, Deutsche Flugdienst took over its rival Condor-Luftreederei and subsequently adoptedCondor Flugdienst GmbH as its operating name. During 1966, Condor launched its first long-haul flights. By this time, the airline had a majority market share of Germany's tourism air travel market. During the 1990s, Condor was restructured and merged with other businesses to become an integrated tourism concern known asC&N Touristik.
In 2000, the Condor shares held byLufthansa were acquired by bothThomas Cook AG andThomas Cook Group. On 4 February 2013, Thomas Cook Group announced that Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, and Condor would be merged into a single operating segment of the Thomas Cook Group,Thomas Cook Group Airlines.
On 23 September 2019, Condor's parent company Thomas Cook Group filed bankruptcy; however, Condor received abridge loan from the German government to remain in operation, as a subsidiary of Thomas Cook.[4][5] In 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, a planned acquisition of the airline byPolish Aviation Group, owner ofLOT Polish Airlines, fell through.[6][7][8] In May 2021, a majority stake in the airline was acquired byAttestor, a Britishinvestment firm.[9]
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Condor was founded on 21 December 1955 asDeutsche FlugdienstGmbH. Its initial ownership was divided between the German shipping companyNorddeutscher Lloyd (27.75%), trans-Atlantic shipping firmHamburg America Line (27.75%), Germanflag carrier airlineDeutsche Lufthansa (26%), and railway companyDeutsche Bundesbahn (18.5%). Deutsche Flugdienst's initial fleet consisted of three 36-passengerVickers VC.1 Viking aircraft; they were based at Frankfurt Airport, which was also a prominent Lufthansahub at that time.[10] On 29 March 1956, the airline's first tourist-oriented flight commenced, apilgrimage flight to theHoly Land. Within its first year of operation, destinations such asMajorca and theCanary Islands were added to the airline's flight schedule.[11]
Between 1959 and 1960, Lufthansa bought out the other shareholdings, acquiring sole ownership of Deutsche Flugdienst.[10][11] In 1961, Deutsche Flugdienst took over its rival Condor-Luftreederei (which had been founded in 1957 byOetker), subsequently changing its name toCondor Flugdienst GmbH, thus introducing the "Condor" name with Lufthansa.[10] During the following year, Condor Flugdienst GmbH had a 63.3% market share of Germany's tourism air travel market, transporting a total of 66,000 passengers in that year; Majorca was by far the most popular destination, attracting 36,000 tourists.[11]
The following decade was an era of considerable growth for Condor. During 1966, the company launched its first long-haul flights, reaching destinations such asThailand,Sri Lanka,Kenya and theDominican Republic.[11] In 1971, Condor became the first leisure-oriented airline in the world to adopt theBoeing 747, which was the worlds' biggest aircraft during the era. By 1973, Condor's fleet consisted of a total of 14 Boeing airliners: Two Boeing 747s, twoBoeing 707s and tenBoeing 727s.[11]
During 1989, the firm launched "Condor Flüge Individuell" (later known asCondor Individuell); this venture leveraged its individual seat business to sell airline seats to members of the public directly.[11] According to a Condor spokesman, the airline was selling around 15% of its tickets itself. During the early 1990s, production company Südflug, a wholly owned subsidiary of Condor, was integrated into the airline.[12] This change brought both theBoeing 757 andBoeing 767 jetliners into Condor's service; being configured with two-class cabins, Condor became the first tourism airline to introduce a separate, more comfortable class upon its aircraft.[11]
During 1995, Condor expanded its shareholdings in other ventures.[11]Condor-Touristik-Verbund held a 30% stake inalpha Holding GmbH, 37.5% of the shares inKreutzer Touristik GmbH, wholly ownedFischer Reisen GmbH, and a 10% stake inÖger Tours GmbH. The airline also assumed ownership of the 40% stake held by parent airline Lufthansa inSunExpress, aTurkish charter airline; its ownership of the firm would subsequently be extended to 50%.[11][13][14]
1996 wasCondor Flugdienst GmbH's 40th anniversary; to mark the occasion, American artistJames Rizzi redecorated a Boeing 757 as a flying work of art, which was sometimes referred to as theRizzi-Bird.[11] In the latter half of that year, the company became the launch customer for theBoeing 757-300, having placed twelve firm orders for the variant.[15][16] To increase operational flexibility, Condor frequently trained its pilots so that they could operate both the Boeing 757 and 767 without any restrictions.[17]
During 1998, the airline establishedCondor Berlin GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered atBerlin Schönefeld Airport. This new entity was a low-cost carrier intended to compete with rivals such asAero Lloyd andAir Berlin; Condor estimated that its subsidiary's costs ought to be about 20% lower than the parent company's own.[18][12] That same year, Condor placed orders for sixAirbus A320-200 airliners, the most technologically modern short-haul aircraft in the world at that time;[19] that airline would subsequently operate twelve aircraft of the type in its fleet.[11]
The late 1990s was dominated by industrial consolidation efforts. Condor's parent airline, Lufthansa, opted to break ties with Hapag-Lloyd to link up with German retailerKarstadt andNUR, its tour operator; this led to the creation of the jointly ownedC&N Touristik, bringing together Germany's largest holiday airline with tour operations.[20] Thus, Condor became an integrated tourism concern.[11]
From 2000 onwards, the Condor shares held by Lufthansa were gradually acquired by bothThomas Cook AG andThomas Cook Group.[21] The process of transforming Condor from a Lufthansa subsidiary to a part of Thomas Cook (along withThomas Cook Airlines,Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium andThomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia began with the rebranding asThomas Cook powered by Condor on 1 March 2003.[21] A new livery was introduced, featuring the Thomas Cook logo on theaircraft tail and the word "Condor" written in the font used by Thomas Cook Airlines. On 23 January 2004, Condor became part ofThomas Cook AG and returned to theCondor brand name.[21] By December 2006, the remaining Lufthansa shares only amounted to 24.9 percent.[21]
On 20 September 2007, shortly after having taken overLTU International,Air Berlin announced its intention to acquire Condor in ashare swap deal. It was intended to buy the 75.1 percent of Condor shares held by Thomas Cook, with the remaining Lufthansa assets being acquired in 2010. In return, Thomas Cook would take up 29.99 percent of the Air Berlin stock.[22] However, on 11 September 2008, this plan was abandoned.[21]
In December 2010, Thomas Cook Group chose theAirbus A320 family as preferred short-medium haul aircraft type for its airlines, with a review concerning the long-haul aircraft scheduled for 2011.[23]
On 17 September 2012, the airline signed acodeshare agreement with theMexicanlow-cost carrier,Volaris.[24]On 12 March 2013, Condor and the Canadian airlineWestJet agreed on aninterline partnership which will offer customers connecting flights to/from 17 destinations inCanada. This agreement expands the network of both airlines, allowing passengers to connect beyond each airline's own network.[25]
On 4 February 2013, the Thomas Cook Group announced that Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, and Condor would merge into a single operating segment of the Thomas Cook Group,Thomas Cook Group Airlines.[26] On 1 October 2013, the Thomas Cook Group began presenting itself under the new unified brand symbol. The aircraft of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines also had the new logo: the Sunny Heart added to their tails and were re-painted in the new corporate color scheme grey, white, and yellow. On the aircraft, the Sunny Heart on the tail is meant to symbolize the unification of airline brands and tour operators within the entire Thomas Cook Group.[27]
Condor refurbished the cabins on all of itsBoeing 767-300 long-haul aircraft. Alleconomy class andpremium economy class seats were replaced with new seats from ZIM Flugsitz GmbH. Condor kept its successful Premium Economy Class with more legroom and added services.[28] The newBusiness Class seats (Zodiac Aerospace) offer fully automated, angled-lie-flat seats capable of inclining to an angle of 170 degrees with a bed length of 1.80 metres (5 ft 11 in). The airline added seats in its new Business Class section from 18 to 30 seats on three of its Boeing 767 aircraft. Newin-flight entertainment includes personal screens for all passengers throughout all three classes of service. Condor will implement the RAVE IFE technology of Zodiac In-flight Entertainment. On 27 June 2014, Condor completed the cabin refurbishment for all of its long-haul Boeing 767 aircraft.[29][30]
In early 2017, Condor's CEO Ralf Teckentrup introduced a plan to cut operating costs by€40 million, because of the €14 million operating cost loss and the €1.4 billion revenue drop.[31] The passenger numbers also dropped by 6%. Condor had also planned new routes to the United States for San Diego, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh; all flights are operated by the 767-300ER.[32]
On 25 September 2019, Condor secured additionalcredit facilities of €380 million to keep flying, despite the collapse of Thomas Cook Group.[33] On the same day, a Frankfurt court authorised investor protection measures to allow Condor to be restructured.[34] On 1 December 2019, theFrankfurt district formally opened these proceedings under the "Schutzschirmverfahren" (protective shield proceedings) clause with the liquidator,Lucas Flöther [de], requesting creditors to register their claims with him by 8 January 2020.[35]
On 24 January 2020, Condor announced that PGLPolish Aviation Group would be buying Condor and the deal was expected to close in April 2020 once antitrust approvals are obtained. With this deal, PGL was expected to repay the bridge loan from Germany in full. Condor would have continued to operate under their current brand and management.[6] However, on 2 April 2020 it was announced that the sale to LOT Polish Airlines had fallen through.[8]
On 20 May 2021, Attestor Capital acquired 51% of the airline and announced that it would provide €200 million of equity capital and a further €250 million to modernise Condor's long-haul fleet.[9] In July 2021, theEuropean Commission approved a €525.3 million aid package offered by the German government.[36] On 28 July 2021, the airline announced an order of 16Airbus A330-900 to replace its current fleet ofBoeing 767-300ER. The order was later expanded to 18 aircraft,[37] and then again to 21 aircraft.[38]
In April 2022, Condor announced a major change to itscorporate design including a revised logo and an entirely new aircraft livery composed of distinctive stripes encircling the fuselage with one of five colors that alternate with white (the stripes being yellow, red, blue, green, or beige), replacing the former Thomas Cook design.[39] On 25 July 2022, the airline announced an order of 13Airbus A320neo and 28Airbus A321neo to replace its existing fleet ofAirbus A320 family andBoeing 757-300.[40] On 19 December 2022, Condor received its first of overall 21Airbus A330-900 in Frankfurt to renew its entire long-haul fleet. The aircraft's first revenue flight took off on 27 December toMauritius.[37] The second aircraft followed only a few days later on 30 December 2022.[41]
In December 2024, Condor announced it would terminate all flights to destinations inCuba (toHavana,Varadero andHolguin) in 2025, citing receding demand while issues with the local infrastructure had increased in recent years.[42] Shortly after, Condor also announced it would terminate flights to six of its North American destinations (San Antonio,Phoenix,Baltimore,Minneapolis,Halifax andEdmonton).[43]
In October 2025, Condor announced the closure of their base atLeipzig/Halle Airport with immediate effect, handing over a downsized network to sister carrierMarabu.[44][45]
In summer 2025, Condor expanded its European city network from Frankfurt to include Rome, Milan, Prague, Vienna, Zurich, Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich.[48]
The airline also launched new short-haul leisure routes from Vienna to Rhodes, Kos, and Palma de Mallorca.[49]
On the long-haul side, frequencies to Miami and Mauritius were increased, Johannesburg and Bangkok became permanent routes, and Panama City was added as a new destination.[50]
During the 2024/25 season, Condor reported operating over 2,500 flights on newly introduced routes, carrying more than 100,000 passengers, with an on-time performance rate of 88%.[51]
Following a German Federal Court of Justice ruling in 2024 that ended Condor’s feeder agreement with Lufthansa, the airline discontinued several transatlantic routes. Services to San Antonio, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Edmonton, and Halifax were withdrawn for the 2025 summer schedule.[52][53]
Condor hasCodeshare agreements with the following airlines:
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Condor has been headquartered inNeu-Isenburg[71] since 2020. It was previously based inKelsterbach[72][73] and laterFrankfurt.[74]
In January 2010, the airline broke ground on their then new headquarters inGateway Gardens, an office complex inFlughafen,Frankfurt, across theBundesautobahn 3 fromFrankfurt Airport. 380 ground employees worked in the building, and pre-flight briefings for about 2,000 flight attendants were held in the building. Prior to its redevelopment, the land housed families stationed at a U.S. military base.[75] Groß & Partner and OFB Projektentwicklung developed the seven-floor facility.[76] The 14,600-square-metre (157,000 sq ft) building is situated between the park and the central plaza, in the "Quartier Mondo" area of Gateway Gardens. It housed Condor's corporate headquarters, a training and education center with aflight simulator, and the airline's flight operations facility. 2,700 square metres (29,000 sq ft) of the facility included small units rented to other tenants and a café and restaurant on the building's first floor. The building opened in the spring of 2012.[74] However, Condor left the complex in 2020 and rented cheaper offices in nearby Neu-Isenburg.[77]
In May 2025, Condor announced it would return to Gateway Gardens, renting ten floors (floors 6 – 15) in the striking Alpha Rotex high-rise. The airline is scheduled to relocate in **February 2026**, with approximately **800 to 900 employees** expected to work at the new headquarters.[78][79]
The Alpha Rotex building, formerly occupied by DB Schenker, is located at the western end of Gateway Gardens—a move intended to enhance operational synergy by bringing administrative staff closer to Frankfurt Airport and its crews.[80]
At the beginning of 1998, Condor foundedCondor Berlin GmbH (CIB), a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered inBerlin-Schönefeld. It used theICAO codeCIB and operated on short and medium-haul routes with itsAirbus A320-200 until its integration into the parent company on 1 May 2013.[81]
InterCondor was a planned joint-venture between then West-German Condor and East-GermanInterflug that was set to start operations in the year 1990 withBoeing 757s. However it was abandoned because of Interflug ending operations in 1991.[citation needed]
Condor has 5 ACMI arrangements in year 2025. As of summer season 2025Fly Air41 Airways operates 4 aircraft for Condor of which 2Airbus A319 are based inFrankfurt and 2Airbus A320 in are based inDüsseldorf, and has been cooperating with Condor since summer season of 2023. Fly Air41's destinations under Condor's flight number include destinations along the coastline of theMediterranean Sea,Armenia,Canary Islands andMadeira.Heston Airlines cooperates with Condor since year 2022, and is operating the same aircraft type asFly Air41 Airways. Other airlines that Condor cooperates with areMarabu (airline) (since 2023),European Air Charter (Bulgarian airline) (since 2020) andBulgaria Air (since 2022).[82]
The airline operates an All-Airbus fleet compromising of A320-200, A320neo, A321-200, A321neo and A330-900.[citation needed]
Condor received its first A330-900 in late 2022—marking a pivotal step in its fleet modernization—featuring Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, refined aerodynamics, and a full Airspace cabin, improving fuel efficiency and operational performance.[83]
As of November 2025[update], Condor operates an all-Airbus fleet composed of the following aircraft:[84][85]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | P | Y | Total | Refs | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 10 | — | 24 | — | 156 | 180 | [86] | To be retired and replaced byAirbus A320neo.[87] |
| Airbus A320neo | 3 | 13 | 24 | — | 156 | 180 | [88] | Two additional units ordered December 2023.[89][87] |
| Airbus A321-200 | 13 | — | 24 | — | 186 | 210 | [90] | To be retired and replaced byAirbus A321neo.[87] |
| 196 | 220 | |||||||
| Airbus A321neo | 6 | 26 | 24 | — | 209 | 233 | [88] | Four additional units ordered December 2023.[89][87] |
| Airbus A330-900 | 18 | 7 | 30 | 64 | 216 | 310 | [91] | Order with 4 options. Deliveries scheduled until 2031.[92] Order expanded three times to 25 aircraft overall.[92] |
| Total | 50 | 46 | ||||||
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Over the years, Condor operated the following aircraft types:[93]
Over the years, Condor fitted few of its aircraft with dedicated special liveries:[105]
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Condor does not operate a traditional mileage-based frequent flyer program. Instead, it offers purchasable "Condor Cards"—the "Activity Card" and "Family Card", each valid for 12 months. These cards provide "status like" benefits with e.g. priority boarding, free seat assignments or discounts on fares, vary by travel zone (Europe vs. World), and were launched with a 10% introductory discount.[112]
Moreover, Condor maintains partnerships withAlaska Airlines Atmos Rewards andEmirates Skywards, enabling passengers to earn miles when flying with Condor by entering their frequent flyer number at check-in.[113]
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TheAirbus A330-900 aircraft, which are delivered since December 2022, feature an entirely new cabin but retain Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class with the difference between the two latter ones being 15 centimetres (5.9 in) more legroom and additional amenities and catering. All seats feature personal4K resolution entertainment screens, however other than on the older 767 aircraft all content is free of charge. The A330neo is also equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi. The Business Class now features a 1-2-1 seating configuration with 180-degree flat-beds and privacy dividers with the first row additionally providing more space and larger entertainment screens for an additional fee.[114]
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An der Gehespitz 50, 63263 Neu-Isenburg, Germany
Media related toCondor at Wikimedia Commons
