Condor Starts Selling Laudamotion Flights For Niki Reboot

German leisure airline Condor has started selling flights of Niki Lauda’s Laudamotion, the vehicle Lauda used to buy the Niki airline, formerly part of bankrupt carrier Air Berlin.

Laudamotion took control of Niki after the failed airline’s joint administrators selected it as “best bidder” for the Vienna-based airline. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Lauda’s bid came after British Airways and Iberia parent IAG agreed a deal to acquire parts of the defunct airline and roll them into a new Vueling subsidiary. The agreement unravelled, however, when courts in Austria and Germany ruled insolvency proceedings should be held in Austria rather than Air Berlin’s home country Germany where the IAG deal was struck.

Condor said the flights it is selling are short- and medium-haul from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Basel to the Balearic destinations of Mallorca and Ibiza, and to Malaga on the Spanish mainland. It said more destinations will be added.

“We are delighted to support Laudamotion in marketing their new flights,” Condor Airlines’ chief executive Ralf Teckentrup said. “The extended choice of flights we can offer to our customers and distribution partners is great for our customers.”

Laudamotion’s Niki Lauda added: “I have great expectations on the partnership with Condor. We bring a little Austrian charm to Germany and our passengers benefit from a more flexible and wider choice of flights to the most beautiful holiday destinations in the Mediterranean.”

In addition to the marketing of Laudamotion flights, Condor said it will also take over selected operational functions, including traffic control and crew planning as a service provider for Laudamotion.