Syrian Air-liveried A320 covers Condor Hamburg–Gran Canaria flight

Passengers on a Condor flight from Hamburg to Gran Canaria boarded an Airbus A320 painted in the titles and logo of Syrian Air, the Hamburger Abendblatt reported.

The aircraft, registered LY-MAU and about twelve years old, was delivered new to Qatar Airways and taken over in June 2025 by Heston Airlines, a Lithuanian charter specialist. Heston leased it to Syrian Air in July and had it painted in that carrier's colours. A Condor spokesperson said it was brought in as cover after the A320 scheduled for the route, the nearly 18-year-old LY-NRU, was damaged at Palma de Mallorca by an airport vehicle. That aircraft has stayed on the ground in Palma since.

Heston is a wet-lease partner of Condor and regularly flies the route as DE1518.

The European Union removed Syrian Air from its sanctions list in February 2025 after almost 13 years. The airline has since begun a gradual return to Europe, starting with Damascus to Amsterdam on 2 July 2026, followed by Copenhagen and Vienna on 21 and 22 September. Germany does not currently appear in its schedule.