Condor Airbus A321 withdrawn for cockpit window check a day after entering service
A newly acquired Condor Airbus A321 was taken out of service the day after its first scheduled flights for a technical check on a cockpit window, prompting an aircraft swap and knock-on delays.
Condor took delivery of a 16-year-old Airbus A321 on 20 September. The aircraft is registered D-AIAH, leased from Aircastle, and had previously flown for Smart Lynx and a Maltese subsidiary of the same group. It also briefly operated for Condor in summer 2019.
The jet began scheduled service on Friday 2 October, flying Frankfurt-Palma-Frankfurt twice, and repeated the rotation twice on Saturday 3 October. It was then withdrawn as a precaution.
A Condor spokesperson said the reason was a technical inspection of one of the cockpit windows. A second A321, D-AIAS, was moved onto the Frankfurt-Lamezia Terme-Frankfurt rotation in its place. That switch disrupted its own schedule the following day, when the departure of flight DE182 from Hamburg was delayed.
The spokesperson said short-notice crew absences added to the delays and that the return flight from Hurghada to Hamburg was pushed to the next day so the crew could observe legally required rest periods. Passengers affected were put up in local hotels.
Both aircraft are reported to be back in service, with D-AIAS landing on Monday afternoon.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comNeuer alter Airbus A321 von Condor fällt am zweiten Tag aus