Condor (DE, Frankfurt Int'l) has taken delivery of its first factory-fresh Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) A321-200, D-AIAB (c/n 5603), for use on various flights to destinations throughout the Mediterranean. However, its stay will be a short one as it is destined for service with sister-carrier, Thomas Cook Airlines UK (MT, Manchester Int'l), from 2014 onwards. Condor currently operates thirteen A320-200s and one second hand A321-200.

Thomas Cook Airlines UK (MT, Manchester Int'l) in collusion with its parent, Thomas Cook Group, has announced a deal with global aircraft leasing specialist, GECAS, in which the latter will acquire the six A321-200s the Thomas Cook Group had ordered directly from Airbus Industrie (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) in 2011, with Thomas Cook leasing them back. It is anticipated that four of the aircraft will be delivered to Thomas Cook in the first quarter of FY 2015, with the remaining two expected to be delivered in the second quarter of FY 2015. As part of the same proposed arrangements, Thomas Cook has agreed to lease an additional three A321-200 aircraft from GECAS for 144 months at market rates. The first of these three aircraft will be delivered to Thomas Cook in the first quarter of FY 2015, the second aircraft will be delivered in the second quarter of FY 2015 and the third aircraft will be delivered in the third quarter of FY 2015. The Group has now entered into agreements to replace 23 of its existing fleet of 85 aircraft over the coming years, with delivery of the first new A321, to be named Voyager Android, expected in late May at the Airbus facility in Hamburg Finkenwerder, increasing the fleet to 86.

Condor (DE, Frankfurt Int'l) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Condor Berlin (DF, Berlin Schönefeld), are in the process of merging according to plans outlined by the airlines' parent, Thomas Cook Group. As of May 1, Condor has integrated its fleet of one thirteen B757-300s and twelve B767-300s with Condor Berlin’s, which comprises twelve Airbus A320-200s and one A321-100/-200-200. The development follows on from an announcement made in February in which Thomas Cook Group detailed plans to merge Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium (HQ, Brussels National), Thomas Cook Airlines UK (MT, Manchester Int'l) and Condor into a single operating segment of the Thomas Cook Group, as a means of reducing complexity and cutting costs.

Thomas Cook Airlines UK (MT, Manchester Int'l) is planning to transfer all their Florida bound flights from Orlando Sanford to Orlando Int'l with effect from April 2014. According to the company's recently released holiday brochure, the move will allow for faster transfer times to the main tourist meccas of International Drive, Walt Disney World and the Kissimmee Villas. Thomas Cook Airlines UK serves Orlando from Glasgow Int'l, London Gatwick and Manchester.

Condor (DE, Frankfurt Int'l) will start its first operations from the UK by operating B757-300s from Manchester Int'l as of April 11, 2014. According to its schedules filed for the summer 2014 season, Condor plans to operate five weekly services from Manchester to Palma de Mallorca Son Sant Joan as well as weekly services to Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Kos and Rhodes. The Manchester based aircraft are also scheduled to operate a weekly Kos-Frankfurt-Kos service on Sundays. Condor will start operating the flights in cooperation with sister carrier Thomas Cook Airlines UK (MT, Manchester Int'l) because it will start maintaining its B757 fleet in Manchester from next year.