Doing the rounds today is what Condor Airlines (the German Leisure carrier) is planning to do to its fleet. And it involves stripes. Lots and lots of stripes.
Well. There are stripes in these aircraft. Here’s a better rendering.
Condor’s colour previous scheme is derived its owner Thomas Cook Airways – with some changes to mark it being out of that ownership sphere.
You won’t see an A330neo in that colour scheme anymore – Rendering, Airbus.
Let’s dive into the juicy PR. They open with
“Condor is vacation. And vacation is stripes.”
Fair. Go on…
Germany’s most popular leisure airline is unveiling its new brand identity today: In the future, Condor will wear stripes in five colors. Inspired by parasols, bath towels and beach chairs, Condor is evolving into a distinctive and unique vacation airline.
Well, I can see the idea here. Five different colours of stripes, vertical, not horizontal.
According to the airline, the new brand identity came about under the direction of Remo Masala, owner of the creative agency vision alphabet in Berlin. In terms of the visuals, the corporate identity’s lead colours are yellow and blue. They have been complemented by a contrasting grey.
The Condor signet, the condor in a circle, goes back to one of Germany’s most influential designers, Otl Aicher. This figurative mark has been given a facelift, with finer and more dynamic lines. It can be found again in the tail unit of the aircraft.
The Condor lettering has also been adapted, with the font now compacted. The logo appears in high-contrast black on the fuselage of the aircraft.
Initially, Condor’s aircraft will carry five colours in a striped look: yellow, red, blue, green, and beige stand for the facets of the diversity of Condor’s guests, employees and the multitude of opportunities to discover the world with Condor.
Everything gets a makeover too
It’s not enough to slap a coat of paint on the aircraft. Everything will get have the new design applied too – from uniforms to airport branding, to the website and social media.
Items will be replaced in the coming weeks and months, many items on board will be replaced, such as cups, blankets and cutlery, as well as all materials on the ground such as boarding passes, ID cards and airport signage. Old design items will be used up first, rather than being disposed of – so expect to see some classic Condor items for some time to come.
In Quotes
Ralf Teckentrup, CEO of Condor.
“Condor has undergone a transformation over the past two and a half years: From a subsidiary of a vertically integrated travel group to an independent airline that looks back proudly on its history and tradition, while at the same time embarking on the path to the future. We want to express this unmistakably through our corporate identity: Condor is vacation and Condor is unmistakable – like our new design, with which we are now launching into the future,”
“Our new trademark are stripes, our figurative mark stands for our origin and the colors for diversity. This triad is new, what remains is our passion. It has always made Condor unique and is therefore also reflected in our claim: Passion is our compass.”
Remo Masala, owner of Vision Alphabet said:
“Revising Condor’s brand identity with its long tradition is a delicate interplay based on respect for its origins and requirements for the future. Our goal was to endow Condor with a special visual independence, the rationale of which is united in Condor’s brand essence: the invention of the vacation flight, and the effective vacation code, the stripes of summer, joy and freedom.”
Repaint timeline
Condor Airlines have estimated that around 80 per cent of the fleet is to be repainted by 2024. This will be done as and when as part of the maintenance cycle, rather than mass-painting the fleet to get the new colour scheme across the fleet.
Of course, the new scheme will feature on the new Airbus A330eno. The first Condor aircraft in the new look will be on an Airbus A321, with D-AIAD doing the honours, with yellow stripes, flying to Lanzarote on April 5 at noon.
In the upcoming weeks, five more Boeing 757 and Airbus A320/1 aircraft will be repainted, so six aircraft will be flying in the new design in the summer flight schedule. They will mainly fly to Mallorca, Greece, the Canary Islands and Egypt.
So, how does it look in the real world?
There’s been more than a few leaks today of the new Condor Airlines paintwork. And I’ve got to admit – it beats the usual Eurowhite.
Spotted another photo of Condor’s yellow stripe livery on this Airbus A321. pic.twitter.com/h56DK5vt6h
— Charles Ryan Teo (@CRyan787dash10) April 4, 2022
Condor’s Yellow strip on an Airbus A321
Und da ist auch schon unsere nächste #Schönheit. 🤩 Frisch vom @MaastrichtAachenAirport eingeflogen erstrahlt unsere #A321 nun in neuem gelben Streifen-Look. ✈️
Wer unseren #Livestream mit verfolgt hat konnte sie schon aus ganzer Nähe bewundern. pic.twitter.com/cAlwkHZBnh
— Condor Airlines News (@Condor) April 4, 2022
And also the A330neo, in Green
What a great livery !! really fan ! That’s change from all Eurowhites Airlines!! Brand New colors for @Condor ! First #Airbus #A330neo with the green livery ! pic.twitter.com/FaBpRLqUKy
— Clément Alloing (@CAlloing) April 4, 2022
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but it will turn heads
Airline liveries can be controversial, with change sometimes poorly met (for example – who remember British Airways World Tails) or have been changed for political reasons (see China Airlines), and some can be downright boring.
This change is very different – and will polarise opinions, with people not sure about it.
As for me – It’s grown on me during the day. I can see what they’re trying to achieve here. And let us be honest – it’s going to brighten airports no end.
And if you’re going off on holiday, being brightened up will no doubt improve your mood when you travel.
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