There are a lot of logistics when it comes to managing crew on repatriation flights. Some of these flights are incredibly long– such as flights from New Zealand back to Germany. Condor is participating in the repatriation of German citizens from around the world. And, as a result, the German carrier has opened up a temporary crew and aircraft base in Phuket, Thailand.
Condor opens temporary base in Phuket
While airlines are cutting regular operations, repatriation services are leading some to run some interesting flights. This includes a SWISS flight from Chile, LOT flights to Cancun and Sydney, an Austrian Airlines service to Sydney, and many others. However, while Condor is now flying to places it previously did not, the airline is taking a step further with a new base in Phuket as announced in a press release.
Why this makes sense
On these long-haul repatriation flights, the workhorse for these operations is the airline's Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. According to Condor, this aircraft has a range of 10,550 kilometers. As a result, Bali and Australia, both popular tourist destinations, are just out of range for the 767 to operate nonstop.
As a result, the carrier is operating these flights with a stop in Phuket, Thailand. To support the number of flights the airline is running from Denpasar (four more in the next week) and four 767s coming out of Australia, it makes sense for Condor to open a base here. This allows for crews to change and stopover.
On the repatriation efforts, CEO Ralf Teckentrup offered the following statement:
"The largest return flight in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany is also a tour de force for Condor. Almost all the aircraft are in the air to bring as many guests home as possible as quickly as possible. At this point, I would like to pay a big compliment and my greatest respect to the German Foreign Office, which is coordinating this return operation, the tour operators - and of course to the Condor teams on the ground and in the air."
Condor's repatriation flights
Along with multiple flights out of Bali, Condor is also flying 800 passengers, who are coming from a cruise ship, out of Australia to Germany with a stop in Phuket. In addition, Condor will also fly out passengers from Phuket, Bangkok, and Jakarta in the coming days.
For a full list of repatriation flights, see the airline's website here. More repatriation flights will be scheduled as needed. If you are a German citizen in need of a repatriation flight, contact the German Foreign Office or else go to Condor's website. Some of these flights are available for commercial booking on the website while others require coordination with embassies and tour organizations.
In addition to these flights, Condor will be running some normal commercial flights to Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Seattle, and Tenerife.
What do you think about Condor making Phuket a temporary aircraft and crew hub? Let us know in the comments!