Wet-leased airberlin A320s begin service for Eurowings

Three airberlin Airbus A320s operating in Eurowings colors launched Feb. 10 from Hamburg to Manchester, Stuttgart and Nuremberg. The flights are part of a six-year wet-lease agreement between airberlin and the Lufthansa Group, which was approved unconditionally at the end of January by federal antitrust authorities.

Under the wet-lease agreement, airberlin will lease 38 Airbus A319/A320 aircraft—which are stationed at German and Austrian airports—to Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Eurowings and Austrian Airlines. Eurowings will take 33 of the aircraft and Austrian will take the remaining five. The deal also includes a codeshare between Lufthansa and airberlin equity parent Etihad Airways.

Airberlin CEO Thomas Winkelmann said, “The wet-lease agreement with the Lufthansa Group is a significant milestone for airberlin by providing job security with ultimately 38 aircraft flying for the Lufthansa Group.”

The airberlin wet-leased A320s will be delivered to the Lufthansa Group in phases by the end of April and all aircraft will carry the wording “operated by airberlin” on their fuselages.

“According to the agreement with airberlin, Eurowings is the fastest-growing carrier compared to any other airline brand in Europe,” CEO of Eurowings and Aviation Services Karl Ulrich Garnadt said in a statement. The wet-leased aircraft will be operated in Eurowings colors and its cabin design.

Up to 20 airberlin A320s will replace the oldest Eurowings aircraft of the same type.

The increased aircraft capacity allows Eurowings to offer 23,000 additional flights per year and more than 60 new connections. The airline also estimates it will carry three million additional passengers annually.

Four of the 33 wet-leased aircraft will be based in Munich beginning from this summer. “More than 50% of the 60 additional new connections will be offered from Lufthansa’s second hub Munich,” Garnadt said.

Two former airberlin A320s will be based in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), increasing the number of aircraft to four (in Palma) starting from this summer, while the remaining aircraft will strengthen Eurowings’ existing bases in Cologne Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Vienna.

Star Alliance member Brussels Airlines, which operates 51 aircraft, should be integrated into the Eurowings Group from 2018. Including Brussels, the total Eurowings fleet is expected to reach 160 aircraft.

Kurt Hofmann hofmann.aviation@netway.at