Condor Takes Off To New Heights With A330neo Aircraft

Mikko Turtiainen, Condor’s Director of Sales, The Americas, used lyrics from an ‘80s hit by the Pointer Sisters to sum up how he felt about all the advancement that’s unfolding at the airline like the arrival of its new long-haul A330neo aircraft.

“I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it — and that’s truly how I feel,” he told the crowd of industry partners gathered at Plaza Premium lounge at Terminal 3 at Toronto Pearson last night. “Condor at the moment is on a magical journey and this journey started at the very worst, at the darkest points of the pandemic. Condor made one of the boldest decisions that any airline made during the pandemic and that was: we’re going to invest in a completely new fleet.”

By 2024, the carrier’s entire long-haul fleet will be A330neo aircraft, which feature 64 premium economy and 30 business class seats with fully-lie-flat beds. Notably, the first four business class seats are known as prime seats, featuring extra legroom, added amenities like a snack box and pyjamas, and the option for travellers to face their companion during things like dinner service while having their full seat to return to for sleeping purposes.

“We do have this increase of premium seats, in my view, in Condor’s view, one of the channels that can sell that premium seat in the best way is the B2B — the travel agencies, the tour operators,” Turtiainen told PressToday. “The mission that we have in sales is definitely to create that excitement within the B2B space, within the travel agencies, tour operators and corporate travel sellers, and make sure that they know about Condor, they know about what Condor is today.”

During the pandemic Condor ordered 16 A330neo aircraft to replace its current Boeing 767 fleet. The aircrafts feature a lively striped livery in different colours like red, green and blue.

“We’ve invested in this new fleet but I have to say this isn’t just an aircraft refresh, this isn’t just a touch of point, this isn’t just a standard new item into our fleet, this will be an absolute milestone for Condor,” noted Stephen Mc Kenna, Area Manager Intercontinental Stations at Condor. “This will be a game changer. This is where we have a moment in the history of the organization to be able to change the way customers think about Condor, to gain new customers and to just really drive a whole new experience on our long haul fleet. So we’re incredibly excited.”

Canadian gateways include Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax and Whitehorse. All North American routes are into Frankfurt, and from there clients can easily connect on Condor or Lufthansa flights. Toronto service is now year-round and flights operate on a frequency of five times a week. Easy connectivity within Canada is made possible via Condor’s partner, WestJet.

“We have to raise the awareness now in regards to Condor really changing, us really coming into the market quite strongly with a premium package,” Turtiainen said. “We have to raise the awareness, we have to reposition ourselves within those segments that have the willingness to pay with that higher price… but at the same time we do want to remain competitive.”

Baxter Media got to tour the aircraft before it departed for Frankfurt last night.