It seems like last September was an eternity ago when Thomas Cook Travel collapsed. Thomas Cook Travel owned and operated Thomas Cook airlines along with Condor Airlines. Condor Airlines continued to fly after the demise of Thomas Cook while looking for a lifeline, you can read that story here. It flys as a Germany-based business.
Condor is a unique airline that has occupied a niche in the leisure airline market. It has been around for decades flying as a stand-alone and charter carrier.
LOT Polish Airlines To The Rescue
Back in January, LOT Polish Airlines agreed to purchase Condor agreed for $327 million USD. The idea was to create a large European airline group that would carry 20 million passengers per year.
In a story by Reuters, the deal by Polish Aviation Group (PGL) which owns LOT Polish has pulled out of the deal. In an email to Reuters:
“I confirm that PGL informed Condor today about its withdrawal from the purchase of this company. We don’t provide any more information at this stage,” PGL communications director Katarzyna Majchrzak said in an email to Reuters.
It looks like Condor, the victim of the Thomas Cook bankruptcy is now the victim of the COVID-19 crisis of travel restrictions and social distancing. The last thing that LOT Polish needs right now is the purchase of more aircraft it can’t fly and employees that can’t work due to the aviation slowdown.
What’s Next For Condor
Summer is very important for many European airlines as this revenue usually carriers them through the winter months. Condor was preparing to begin new service to Mediterranian and Atlantic tourist markets this summer from Berlin-Schönefeld (SXF):
Canary Islands:
- Gran Canaria (LPA): Wednesdays and Sundays
- Fuerteventura (FUE): Thursdays and Saturdays
- Tenerife (TFS): Mondays and Fridays
Greece:
- Heraklion (HER): Mondays and Thursdays
- Rhodes (RHO): Saturdays
- Samos (SMI): Tuesdays
Italy:
- Olbia (OLB): Wednesdays and Sundays
Germany had anticipated a pullout by LOT Polish. Right now, Germany is ready to take over Condor. The German government must now consider nationalizing Condor for the airline to stay alive.
