This is great news for German aviation … Condor becomes the first German customer for the A330-900neoThe German holiday airline Condor has just ordered 16 Airbus A330-900neos. The first aircraft is to be added to Condor’s fleet in autumn 2022, while all aircraft are to be delivered by mid-2024. Condor’s long-haul fleet currently consists of 13 Boeing 767-300ERs, which are on average 26 years old. For a long time there were questions about the plans to renew Condor’s long-haul fleet, as the planes will (presumably) only fly that much longer. Well, now we finally know the plan. The A330-900neo is the latest generation of the A330 family. The aircraft has improved fuel efficiency over older versions of the A330 and is a great lower capacity alternative to the A350, which is otherwise the flagship of Airbus’ long-haul aircraft. In a standard configuration, the A330-900neo has a range of 6,550 nm and offers space for 287 passengers. Condor claims that this will make the airline the European leader in terms of fuel efficiency on long-haul flights. It even markets this aircraft as a “2-liter aircraft” because the airline states that the fuel consumption per person will be 2.1 liters per 100 kilometers flown. This aircraft should be a huge improvement for the airline in many ways – in terms of fuel efficiency, passenger experience, range, operating costs, and even capacity. This also means considerable growth for the airline – the long-haul fleet will grow from 13 smaller aircraft to 16 larger aircraft. Condor presents new Business Class Premium EconomySo far, Condor has communicated the following about the passenger experience of the upcoming Airbus A330-900neos:
For the context, the Condor 767s are currently in a configuration with two cabins. Business Class consists of (heavily) sloping seats that are not really competitive with other Business Class products out there (but there is not much competition on the Frankfurt to Whitehorse route either). I could imagine Condor introducing flat beds in Business Class on the A330-900neos. I don’t think it’s going to be anything innovative, just something that is solid. After all, the airline is a vacation airline, so many travelers are couples or families and don’t mind sitting together. Additionally, the airline doesn’t face much competition in many of the markets in which it operates. In addition, Condor promises to be the European frontrunner when it comes to fuel consumption per passenger on long-haul flights. To earn this title, a lot of seats must be placed on airplanes. ? Could Condor’s long-haul strategy change?While there is no sign of anything changing, I can’t help but ask this question. The long-distance network of Condor currently consists almost exclusively of leisure routes from Germany. We talk about everything from Anchorage, Cancun, Havana, Mauritius, Phuket. The airline will expand its long-haul fleet significantly, given the number of aircraft and their capacity. Additionally, the airline is likely to have a better all round passenger experience. I can’t help but wonder whether Condor will compete against Lufthansa on further routes, as Lufthansa has no competition in many markets. Lufthansa is replicating some Condor routes with its new subsidiary Eurowings Discover, which could make some markets more difficult for Condor. Conversely, Condor could perhaps go on the offensive against Lufthansa in some more traditional business markets. I’m not saying it will happen, but I think it can’t be ruled out. Bottom lineThe German holiday airline Condor has ordered 16 Airbus A330-900neos, which will be delivered between 2022 and 2024. They replace the airline’s 13 aging Boeing 767-300ERs. It is so exciting that Condor is evolving this way as these planes will offer a whole new passenger experience. Condor will always have a special place in my heart as it is the airline that I associate most with my childhood. I have fond memories of flying non-stop between Tampa and Frankfurt with the airline (although I also had to sit in the smoking section, which was what made me earn miles in the first place so I could travel more comfortably). What do you think of Condor’s A330-900neo order and what do you think this means for the airline’s strategy? Via https://globalconnekt.com/condor-renews-its-fleet-with-16-airbus-a330-900neos/
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