Condor says goodbye to the Boeing 757 with celebratory flight and sky art
November 5, 2025
Condor has officially retired the Boeing 757 from its fleet, celebrating the end of a 35-year partnership with a commemorative round trip between Vienna and Frankfurt.
On board the flight were journalists, Condor employees and a small group of Boeing 757 fans, who had taken part in an auction for just 75 tickets on the flight.
Operating the service was a Boeing 757-300, tail number D-ABOM. The 25-year-old aircraft was delivered to Condor in May 2004 and was repainted into the ‘Red Passion’ livery in January 2023. Flightradar shows that more than 10,000 people were tracking the flight at various points through the journey.
“By bidding farewell to the Boeing 757, an era at Condor comes to an end,” said Christian Schmitt, COO of Condor. “At the same time, this marks the beginning of a new chapter with a modern, more efficient, and more sustainable Airbus fleet. Moreover, Condor has long since become more than just a leisure airline, as evidenced by our expanded network with new city connections. That is why our farewell flight combines the nostalgia of our last B757 with a joyful look into the future, symbolised by our city destination, Vienna.”
The flight took off from Frankfurt at 10:00 local time this morning, flying for just over an hour to the city of Vienna. After a celebration in Austria and a pit-stop for D-ABOM, the Boeing 757 took off for the final time in Condor service, leaving Vienna just before 14:30.
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Condor sky art celebrates the retirement of the Boeing 757
On the way back, the flight took a circuitous route, heading north after crossing the German border.
Completing a series of high altitude turns, the aircraft drew out a joined-up 757 in the sky before heading into Frankfurt.
Reports from onboard the aircraft note a party atmosphere, complete with glow sticks, an onboard DJ and plenty of smiles. It was a fitting send-off for an aircraft type that has been so fundamental to the airline for such a long time.
35 years of Condor and the Boeing 757
Over the course of the past 35 years, Condor has operated 34 Boeing 757s since its first 757-200, tail number D-ABNA, was delivered in March 1990. It flew 20 of the -200s and 14 757-300s over the years, but by the start of 2025, just seven -300s remained in the fleet.
Throughout the summer, the 757s continued to ply Condor’s routes from Düsseldorf and Frankfurt, flying to destinations including Palma de Mallorca, Hurghada and Gran Canaria. But as the winter season kicked in, all but two of the remaining 757-300s were retired.
Probably for the last time, I saw a Boeing 757-300 of Condor – this time in Hurghada. I a few days the last aircraft will be retired. A farewell-flight is planned for November 5th IIRC. pic.twitter.com/0mqIIKBBaA
— MD-80.com (@MD80com) November 2, 2025
The final two aircraft, D-ABOM and D-ABOI, continued connecting Germany to leisure destinations until early November. D-ABOI had its last service on 2 November, arriving from Hurghada to Frankfurt in the evening.
The retirement of the Boeing 757 is not only the end of an era for Condor, but it also marks the transition of the airline to an all-Airbus operator. Over the years, Condor has operated over 80 Boeing aircraft, including the 767, 737 and even a handful of 747s. Now, it will fly only Airbus aircraft, with the A330neo and A320neo families forming the backbone of its fleet.
