Airline Chronological History
Condor can trace its roots back to the mid 1950's when the demand for air travel increased, after the introduction of safer and more reliable prop-planes that could fly more passengers and further away from home. The idea was to create an airline that would dedicate itself to leisure destinations, so an airline company was founded on 21 December 1955 as Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH and commenced operations on 29 March 1956, with a large scale of round trips to the "Holy Land" and to Egypt. Within the first year of operation, Majorca, and the Canary Island of Tenerife were soon added to the flight schedule.
Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH,was split between Norddeutscher Lloyd (27.75%), Hamburg America Line (27.75%), Deutsche Lufthansa (26%), and Deutsche Bundesbahn (18.5%). The initial fleet consisted of three 36-passenger Vickers VC.1 Viking aircraft that were based at Frankfurt Airport, the Lufthansa hub. It also operated soon after Convair 240/440 in 1957. In 1959, Lufthansa took over 95.5% of the stake, thus creating its first postwar subsidiary.
The airline was known as Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH in 1955 and started with 3 Vickers Viking aircraft based in Frankfurt. (Photo:abpic.co.uk) In 1961, Deutsche Flugdienst took over its rival Condor-Luftreederei (which had been founded in 1957 by Oetker), subsequently changing its name to Condor Flugdienst GmbH, thus reintroducing the "Condor" name with Lufthansa (there was a Brazilian subsidiary named Syndicato Condor between 1928 and 1943). In 1964 the airline also operated its first Vickers Viscount aircraft, the Boeing 727-100 in 1965 and in 1966, the long haul business was launched, with flights to Thailand, Ceylon, Kenya, and the Dominican Republic. With the long haul services the Boeing 707 was also introduced to the fleet from 1967.
The British built Vickers Viscount was the first turbo-prop airliner in the world, it joined with Condor in 1964. (Photo:airteamimages.com) 
The Boeing 727-100 was introduced in 1965, taking holidays makers all over Europe. (Photo:airliners.net) 
Long haul services started in 1967 with the Boeing 707 joining the fleet of Condor. (Photo:airliners.net) A further milestone in the company's history followed in 1971. Condor was the world's first leisure airline to fly the Boeing 747 "Jumbo". Condor operated the aircraft with up to 494 passengers from Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg and Cologne-Bonn to Spanish vacation destinations such as Majorca, Malaga and Las Palmas. During the winter season, the Jumbo operated long haul flights for the first time, to destinations such as Karachi, New-Delhi, Bangkok and Colombo in Sri Lanka from Frankfurt. At the end of the decade, in 1979, the fleet expanded with the introduction of the first DC-10 from the manufacturer McDonnell Douglas, two additional DC-10s were soon added to the fleet, which led them taking over from the Boeing 747s the next decade. It also introduced the first Airbus A300 into the fleet in 1979, which served the fleet for 10 years.
In 1971, the first Jumbo Boeing 747-200 joined the fleet flying first to Spain and then to long haul destinations. (Photo:airliners.net) 
The DC-10, introduced in 1979,was the successor of the Jumbo. (Photo:jetphotos.com) During the 1980's, the Condor Individuell system was launched, allowing direct flight bookings by passengers without the need of a travel agency. During the decade it also introduced the Boeing 737-200 in 1981 and the Airbus A310 in 1985. During the years 1990 to 1992, Condor employed the modern Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 jets into service. As an additional highlight, in 1991 Condor introduced the Comfort Class.
In 1993 it operated the Boeing 747-400 for 3 years for high demand routes across the Atlantic. For Condor's 40th birthday celebration in 1996, the airline orders twelve Boeing 757-300, which is the launch customer for the type. In 1997, Condor Flugdienst GmbH was acquired by C&N Touristic AG (today Thomas Cook AG). With the merger of Condor Flugdienst GmbH, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and the other shareholding company, KarstadtQuelle AG, created the basis for an integrated tourism group with a European format, both partners held 50 percent in the company.
The Boeing 737-200 joined Condor in 1981 for its thinner European routes. (Photo:airliners.net) 
From 1990 bigger planes like Boeing 757-200 were used on trunk routes to the Mediterranean. (Photo:al-airliners.be) 
The long haul services were updated in 1991 with the introduction of the Boeing 767-300. (Photo:netairspace.com) In 1998, the leisure airline founded "Condor Berlin GmbH", a 100 percent subsidiary with its headquarters in Berlin Schönefeld. By the end of the year, Condor received its first of six Airbus A320-200 aircraft, which begun replacing the Boeing 737 short-haul airliners.
From 2000 onwards, the Condor shares held by Lufthansa were gradually acquired by Thomas Cook. The process of transforming Condor from a Lufthansa subsidiary to a part of Thomas Cook began with the rebranding as Thomas Cook powered by Condor on 1 March 2003. A new livery was introduced, featuring the Thomas Cook logo on the aircraft tail and the word "Condor" written in the font used by Thomas Cook Airlines. On 23 January 2004, Condor became part of Thomas Cook AG and returned to the Condor brand name. By December 2006, the remaining Lufthansa shares only amounted to 24.9 percent.
In December 2010, Thomas Cook Group chose the Airbus A320 family as preferred short-medium haul aircraft type for its airlines, with a review concerning the long haul aircraft scheduled for 2011. From March 2012 the company received its first Airbus A321 for European leisure destinations. On 12 March 2013, Condor and the Canadian airline WestJet agreed on an interline partnership which will offer customers connecting flights to/from 17 destinations in Canada.
From 1998, the mode modern Airbus A320 (pictured) replaced the classic 737-200. (Photo:berlin-spotter.de) 
After 2003, aircraft wore the livery of its parent company Thomas Cook, but still displaying Condor titles. It received the first Airbus A321 in 2012.(Photo:planespotters.net) On 4 February 2013, the 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. On October 1, 2013 the Thomas Cook Group began presenting itself under a unified brand symbol. The aircraft of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines also had the Sunny Heart added to their tails and were re-painted in the new corporate colour scheme grey, white, and yellow.
Condor refurbished the cabins on all of its Boeing 767-300 long-haul aircraft. The new Business Class seats offered fully automated, angled-lie-flat seats capable of inclining to an angle of 170 degrees with a bed length of 1.80 metres. On 27 June 2014, Condor completed the cabin refurbishment for all of its long-haul Boeing 767 aircraft. In the Summer season of 2016, newer Boeing 767-300ER were introduced.
In early 2017 Condor introduced a plan to cut operating cost by €40 million euros, because of the cost loss and the revenue drop, the previous year. The passenger numbers also dropped by 6%. Condor had also planned new routes into the United States (San Diego, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh). During 2017, it also introduced the Airbus A330-200 into its long haul operations from Germany.
From 2013, a new livery was applied to all aircraft of the group. Luckily for Condor, the yellow colour came back together with a light grey. In 2016, it also took additional Boeing 767-300ER. (Photo:planespotters.net) 
The Airbus A330-200 joined the fleet for the Summer 2017 season with 3 examples. (Photo:airliners.net) However, the cuts came a little too late for the group which Condor was under, and so on the 22 September 2019, Thomas Cook Group announced its liquidation. But luckily for Condor, only a few days later, the 25 September, the airline secured additional credit facilities of €380 million, from the German Government, to keep flying. On the same day, a Frankfurt court authorised investor protection measures to allow Condor to be restructured.
On 24 January 2020 Condor announced that PGL Polish Aviation Group would be buying Condor and the deal is expected to close in April 2020. However going forward Condor will continue to operate under their current brand and management.
Condor was reborn in September 2019, when the Thomas Cook Group collapsed. Leaving Condor to recover their formal brand and continue flying thanks to the German Government bail out. (Photo:planespotters.net) With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, it devastated global air travel demand and severely impacted Condor. The airline continued operating a limited schedule during the pandemic, focusing primarily on repatriation flights, essential travel, and leisure routes that reopened when restrictions permitted, particularly to Mediterranean destinations and the Canary Islands.
In mid-2020 the German government provided additional stabilization measures, including a restructuring plan agreed with the European Commission under state aid rules. Condor used this period to streamline operations, renegotiate supplier contracts, and adjust capacity. While long-haul flying remained depressed during the height of the pandemic, the carrier preserved its core leisure identity and maintained its Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 fleets for medium- and long-haul services respectively. By 2021, as vaccination campaigns advanced and travel restrictions gradually eased, leisure travel rebounded faster than business travel, benefiting Condor’s point-to-point holiday model.
During the Pandemic in 2020 the Boeing 757-300 provided vital repatriation flights, essential travel and leisure travel to limited destinations. (Photo:planespotters.net) 
Once, the Boeing 767 was the backbone of the fleet, but with Covid19, Condor started to replace the fleet with Airbus long haul aircraft. (Photo:planespotters.net) 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. On 28 July 2021, the airline announced an order of 16 Airbus A330-900 to replace its current fleet of Boeing 767-300ER. The order was later expanded to 21 aircraft.
In April 2022, Condor announced a major change to its corporate design including a revised logo and an entirely new aircraft livery composed of distinctive stripes encircling the fuselage with one of five colours that alternate with white (the stripes being yellow, red, blue, green, or beige), replacing the former Thomas Cook design. On 25 July 2022, the airline announced an order of 13 Airbus A320neo and 28 Airbus A321neo to replace its existing fleet of Airbus A320 family and Boeing 757-300.
On 19 December 2022, Condor received its first of overall 21 Airbus A330-900 in Frankfurt to renew its entire long-haul fleet. The gradual retirement of the Boeing 767 fleet continued through 2023 and 2024, marking the end of a long chapter in Condor’s transatlantic operations with Boeing airplanes.
On 19 December 2022, Condor received its first Airbus A330-900 in Frankfurt. It was also the year that the airline updated its livery and logo, using different coloured stripes; being yellow, red, blue, green, or beige. (Photo:planespotters.net) As international travel demand recovered strongly in 2022 and 2023, Condor expanded its long-haul footprint, particularly to the United States and Canada. Traditional leisure destinations such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Anchorage, and various Caribbean islands were reinforced, while new or upgraded year-round services were introduced to cities including New York (JFK), Toronto, and other North American gateways. The airline increasingly positioned itself as Germany’s primary leisure-focused long-haul carrier independent of the Lufthansa Group. The modern A330neo cabins, featuring a new business class product with direct aisle access and upgraded premium economy and economy cabins, improved competitiveness on transatlantic routes.
During 2023 Condor also initiated a significant strategic shift by building up feeder traffic from within Germany and Europe to support its Frankfurt long-haul hub. Historically reliant on tour operator packages and point-to-point traffic, the airline began operating scheduled city connections between Frankfurt and major German cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, as well as select European capitals. The move placed Condor in more direct competition with Lufthansa on domestic German trunk routes, signalling a broader evolution from a pure leisure charter airline into a hybrid scheduled carrier.
The summer seasons of 2023 and 2024 saw further expansion in leisure destinations across Southern Europe, the Canary Islands, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and long-haul holiday markets in the Caribbean and North America. Capacity growth was supported by both new aircraft deliveries and wet-lease arrangements during peak periods.
In December 2024, Condor announced it would terminate all flights to destinations in Cuba (to Havana, Varadero and Holguin) in 2025, citing receding demand while issues with the local infrastructure had increased in recent years. Shortly after, Condor also announced it would terminate flights to six of its North American destinations (San Antonio, Phoenix, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Halifax and Edmonton). The introduction of the A320neo family from 2024 onward significantly lowered fuel burn and emissions, while enabling network expansion and higher frequency services within Europe.
By 2024 and 2025 the transition to an all-Airbus long-haul fleet was largely complete, with the A330-900neo fully replacing the Boeing 767 fleet. The modernization significantly improved operational reliability and reduced maintenance complexity. On short- and medium-haul routes, the gradual induction of A320neo and A321neo aircraft continued, enhancing efficiency and enabling network densification.
New Airbus A320neo aircraft arrived to Condor in April 2024. (Photo:planespotters.net) 
Also, in 2024 bigger Airbus A321neo joined the fleet which helped the airline retire older types as the B757-300. (Photo:planespotters.net) Moving on to October 2025, Condor announced the closure of their base at Leipzig/Halle Airport, handing over a downsized network to sister carrier Marabu. Another milestone happened in October 2025, when Condor retired its last Boeing 757, bringing to an end 35 years of it operating Boeing aircraft.
By 2026 Condor stands as a significantly transformed airline compared with its position during the Thomas Cook collapse. It has moved from insolvency protection and pandemic uncertainty to financial stabilization under private investment, executed one of the most comprehensive fleet renewals among European leisure carriers, redefined its brand identity, expanded transatlantic services, strengthened intra-European connectivity, and repositioned itself as an independent, modern leisure airline with scheduled network characteristics.
Airline Factual Information
Its main base is located at Frankfurt Airport from which most of its long-haul flights depart from. Secondary bases include Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Zurich. Condor flies to over 90 destinations throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Condor flies to the following destinations* (The list does not contain destinations operated by Condor's codeshare and interline partners):
Updated February 2026
Condor benefits now from a young fleet of all Airbus aircraft which totals over 50 aircraft. For it's core European and domestic flights it uses mostly the Airbus A320neo and A321Neo, whilst for its long haul operations it relies on the Airbus A330-900.
The fleet* of Condor consists of the following aircraft:
Updated February 2026
Reviews and comments ⭐
What Stands Out 😀👍 | Needs Improvement 🫤👎 |
✅ Modern Fleet: Many passengers praise the new Airbus A330neo aircraft, noting they are exceptionally quiet, clean, and modern. | 👎 Poor Customer Support: A major pain point is the difficulty in reaching human agents or receiving timely responses regarding refunds and claims. |
✅ Value for Money: Travelers frequently highlight that fares—especially for long-haul Business Class—are significantly cheaper than legacy carriers. | 👎 Unreliable Website/App: Users often report technical glitches during booking, online check-in, or when trying to add extra baggage. |
✅ Friendly Cabin Crew: In-flight staff are consistently described as warm, professional, and more approachable than crews on larger airlines. | 👎 Strict Baggage Enforcement: Many negative reviews mention being charged high "surprise" fees at the gate for carry-ons that were slightly overweight. |
✅ Comfortable Premium Classes: The "Prime Seats" in Business and the extra legroom in Premium Economy are highly rated for long-haul comfort. | 👎 Cramped Economy Seating: Passengers in standard Economy often complain about very tight legroom and narrow seats on flights over 8 hours. |
✅ Decent Entertainment: The 4K seatback screens and the ability to connect personal Bluetooth headphones on newer planes are standout features. | 👎 Inconsistent Ground Service: While the flight itself is often good, ground experiences like boarding and check-in are sometimes described as chaotic. |
✅ Direct Vacation Routes: Travelers appreciate the unique point-to-point seasonal routes to holiday destinations that other major airlines don't serve. | 👎 Communication During Delays: When flights are cancelled or delayed, passengers report a lack of proactive updates and poor rebooking assistance. |
*Reviews are collected from independent sites and compelled by the most representative reviews and comments. Planet Airlines Ltd remains impartial to any airlines.