Germany's Condor To Receive 19 Leased Airbus Narrowbodies From ALC Between 2024 & 2027

Condor has signed a long-term lease agreement with US-based lessor Air Lease Corporation (ALC) for 19 Airbus A320 family jets. The deal includes Airbus A320neo and A321neo airframes. The aircraft will be delivered to the German airline brand-new from 2024.

Steven Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation, said,

“This significant lease placement for 19 Airbus new generation aircraft continues ALC’s excellent relationship with Condor, one of our key German airline customers. The A321neo and A320neo are fundamental to Condor’s fleet operations and to maintain the airline’s highly competitive position in the European market.”

19 new Airbus A320 family jets

Condor is set to receive 17 Airbus A321neo and two A320neo aircraft from ALC. Deliveries will start in 2024 and continue all the way through mid-2027. According to a statement from ALC, the new planes will be its order book. Data from ch-aviation shows ALC has five A320neos and nearly 120 A321neos on order (excluding LR and XLR variants).

Readers following Simple Flying’s coverage of the 2022 Farnborough Air Show will remember that Condor committed to 41 A320 family airframes less than a month ago. Simple Flying has written to Airbus and Condor seeking confirmation on that order. This article will be updated when a response is received.

This isn’t Condor’s first time doing business with Air Lease Corporation. The German carrier already operates three Airbus A321s and two A320s on lease from ALC. However, these are older ceo-spec airframes, while the recent agreement is for newer neos.

Committing to Airbus

Condor is currently undergoing a massive fleet and brand modernization effort, and in the process, is on the path to becoming an all-Airbus airline in the following years. The German carrier will soon begin inducting Airbus A330neos into its fleet to replace its 27-year-old Boeing 767s. Condor has 16 examples of the type on order, with deliveries scheduled up to 2024.

Ralf Teckentrup, CEO of Condor, said,

“We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with ALC in the future. We are thankful for this collaboration as it supports Condor in reaching its next milestones. With the replacement of our entire long-haul fleet, it‘s the obvious next step for us to modernize our short/medium-haul fleet as well. We consistently focus on modern technology, maximum efficiency and the highest customer comfort and as a result, will have one of the greenest fleets in Europe.”

Indeed, the plan is to begin modernization of the short-haul fleet as soon as A330neo deliveries are complete. The second phase of the rejuvenation process will start in 2024 as Condor takes new A321neos and A320neos to replace the Boeing 757 and older Airbus A320 family jets.

Photo: Condor

Condor is also planning on fitting the new aircraft with modern cabins in a bid to reinvent itself as a modern brand. The airline released some renderings of what the business, premium economy and economy class cabins will look like in its forthcoming A330neos.