Condor to stop nonstop San Diego-Frankfurt flights after summer

German leisure airline Condor has announced it will stop its nonstop flights between Frankfurt and San Diego by this summer season end. The airline had launched the flights on the route only in April this year, but decided to end the services. Condor was prompted to take this decision only after Lufthansa’s recent announcement that it will be launching nonstop flights between San Diego and Frankfurt in 2018. Germany’s flagship carrier Lufthansa is planning to serve the route with five times per week services.

Johannes Winter, Spokesman of Condor, said, “The strategy of Condor is to provide air connectivity to U.S. communities that are currently underserved. We want to offer them direct access to European destinations with nonstop flights from Frankfurt. We have undertaken extensive study based on several pertinent factors such as profitability, customer demand and market decision, and finally decided to stop nonstop flights on San Diego-Frankfurt route at the end of summer. We have now decided that this capacity would instead be used for offering nonstop flights services to other cities in 2018 summer season, in addition to year-round connecting flights through our U.S. partner Alaska Airlines for the residents of San Diego and adjoining areas.”

Condor has also sounded out to San Diego International Airport authorities in advance on its plans to stop nonstop flights after this year. The airport officials have however said that they are surprised and still don’t know the reason about the sudden exit of Condor from the San Diego market. The San Diego airport authorities have expressed satisfaction that Condor will continue to serve the route at least through summer 2017 end.

Condor is a leading German leisure carrier, and mostly conducts seasonal flights services. The airline will be serving Frankfurt-San Diego route till October 5 with thrice weekly service. It will however not resume the flights between the two destinations in 2018. Condor is tightlipped on the issue and declined to say why it decided to discontinue the service on the route only after its first year.