Condor revises network strategy following court ruling against feeder deal

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Airbus A380 | Airbus

By Sky Industry News

Jan 5, 2025

A recent ruling by the German Federal Court of Justice has led Condor Airlines to overhaul its long-haul network. The court's decision allows Lufthansa to terminate a Special Prorate Agreement (SPA) with Condor, which had enabled the leisure airline to use Lufthansa's feeder services across Europe for its long-haul flights.

The SPA had been in place since 2020 as a measure to maintain competition within the German aviation market. However, tensions between Lufthansa and Condor persisted, especially after Lufthansa launched Discover Airlines in 2021, also based in Frankfurt. The court's December ruling sided with Lufthansa, freeing it from obligations under the SPA.

Lufthansa proposed a new deal post-ruling, but Condor rejected it. As a result, the agreement was suspended on Christmas Eve. While existing bookings that include a Lufthansa feeder flight remain valid, Condor now faces challenges in maintaining its North American routes without these connections.

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Condor has announced plans to develop its own feeder network by launching flights to European cities such as Milan, Rome, and Vienna. Despite this effort, the scale of operations is not comparable to Lufthansa’s extensive European routes.

In response to losing the SPA support, Condor will suspend several routes from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to North American destinations including San Antonio and Phoenix. Other affected airports are Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), Edmonton (YEG), and Halifax (YHZ).

Dr. Jens Boyd, Commercial Director for Condor, commented: “This is not a decision we take lightly. Condor has cultivated strong professional and personal ties with San Antonio and the other affected communities over the years, and we deeply regret the loss of connectivity and service this will cause.”

San Antonio expressed hope for resuming transatlantic flights in future while acknowledging that traffic from SAT to Europe increased significantly due to Condor’s service.

Condor plans reduced frequencies on several other routes including Anchorage (ANC), Seattle (SEA), and Calgary (YYC). Conversely, it aims to expand services elsewhere globally with additional flights planned for Mauritius (+1 weekly frequency), Johannesburg Airport (+service throughout summer), Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (+service throughout summer), and Miami International Airport (+1 weekly frequency).

Despite these changes focusing on leisure destinations outside North America could prove beneficial for Condor moving forward.