**UPDATE @ 21/12/2020: Statement from Eurowings about the cause and impact of the incident has been added**

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Details

The aircraft involved in this incident was a 12-year-old Airbus A319-100, registered D-ABGQ. Previously operating for Air Berlin and Vueling, Eurowings began operating the plane in February 2017, according to Planespotters.net. The plane features an all-economy configuration with 150 seats.

Eurowings A319-100
The A319 operates on many short-haul domestic and European routes. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

Eurowings operates a total of 34 A319-100s in its fleet, with a majority still parked up due to lack of demand. 15 of the type are currently in the sky and are usually deployed on shorter routes in Germany or Europe.

Eurowings' tough year

Eurowings is one of many carriers in the sprawling Lufthansa Group and operates low-cost flights to Europe and international destinations. The airline had plans to return to profitability by 2021 following a disappointing 2019. However, this year's events have disrupted any such plans for a while.

Eurowings Airbus A320 take off
Photo: Getty

The carrier has been slowly adding more flights to some European cities, but most of its fleet remains parked on the ground. This includes two A330s, 27 A320s, 19 A319s, and all five A321s, with only 40 out of its 93 aircraft fleet currently flying. However, the carrier has been looking for new ways to attract passengers. It recently rolled out complimentary COVID-19 insurance for all passengers, making it one of the few European carriers to do so.

With the vaccine now months away for many countries, 2021 will likely be a much stronger year for the carrier than this one was. However, it's still to be seen how fast vaccines can reach people and if countries will open up by the critical summer season.