The German commercial aviation scene comprises far more airlines than just flag carrier Lufthansa. Indeed, the country has a strong leisure market, served by airlines such as Eurowings. This low-cost carrier has been operational for nearly three decades, and now also has a new long-haul brand. Eurowings is a large operator of the Airbus A320 family.
Eurowings came into existence in 1993, following the merger of two regional airlines. Initially flying ATR turboprops, it later added regional jets and then Airbus designs like the A310 and A320. At the turn of the century, Lufthansa began acquiring stakes in the airline, and it is now part of the Lufthansa Group. Following a 2015 restructure, it now operates low-cost flights from bases throughout Europe, with a key emphasis placed on leisure destinations.
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Starting off small
The two airlines that merged to form Eurowings in February 1993 were Nürnberger Flugdienst and Reise- und Industrieflug. The new carrier commenced operations a year later, using a fleet of ATR 42s and 72s inherited from these airlines. Eurowings began life as a small regional carrier, and thus, when it began flying jets, the first it acquired were BAe 146s.
Acquired by Lufthansa
Eurowings grew as it moved into the 21st century. For example, in 1997, it established a low-cost arm known as Germanwings, which went independent in 2002. Lufthansa began taking an interest in the airline, and 2001 saw it acquire a 24.9% stake in Eurowings.
It raised this to 49% three years later. By 2006, Lufthansa effectively had full control of Eurowings, as, in addition to its shares, it had a call option for the remaining 51%. Lufthansa eventually gained total ownership of Eurowings in 2011. This preceded a restructuring process that concerned both its fleet and operational model.
The changes began in 2014, when Lufthansa announced that Eurowings would replace its Bombardier CRJ regional jets with Airbus A320s. This prompted a network shift from regional to short-haul leisure services on a low-cost basis. This prompted Lufthansa to move Germanwings’ operations under the Eurowings brand, and A320 flights began in 2015.
Eurowings today
Today, Eurowings’ fleet consists almost entirely of Airbus A320 family aircraft. The only exceptions are two leased Boeing 737-800s. Going forward, data from ch-aviation.com shows that the airline plans to modernize its fleet with the addition of 10 A320neos.
As seen above, Eurowings also used to operate Airbus A330s on long-haul leisure routes. However, it ceased doing so amid the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Its owner Lufthansa instead opted to use the aircraft to set up a low-cost subsidiary specifically for long-haul leisure destinations, known as Eurowings Discover.
As far as Eurowings’ network is concerned, the carrier has adapted well to the challenges of COVID-19. That is to say that it has cashed in on changes to travel restrictions to open routes outside of Germany. For example, it began operating services from the UK to Mallorca this year, as well as planning new bases in the likes of Stockholm and Prague.
What do you make of Eurowings? Have you ever flown with Lufthansa’s low-cost leisure carrier? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
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