As air cargo evolves to meet modern logistics demands, Europe remains a critical launchpad for international freight movement—thanks in part to the increasing role of passenger airlines leveraging belly capacity. Nowhere is that more evident than in the strategy unfolding at Condor, where renewed global connectivity, digital modernisation, and fleet renewal are reshaping the airline’s role in cargo transport.

“Condor is known as the airline flying to all these nice blue water destinations where we spend our holidays,” said Thilo Schäfer, Director Cargo at Condor. “But this has slightly changed now. We are connecting business centres in the world.”

From North America to Mexico, Bangkok, Phuket, and South Africa, Condor’s once-seasonal routes are now operating year-round with higher frequencies. “That also has made it interesting for me to join the company in order to grow their business,” Schäfer added.

Strategic reach and seamless intermodality

With a footprint that straddles both leisure and business demand, Condor is actively developing solutions that connect short-haul and long-haul networks for specialised logistics needs.

“We are about to develop a spare part logistics product, especially for the shipping industry,” Schäfer explained. “Just think of all the vessels in the Caribbean—if there’s a problem, we can bring parts from Hamburg to Frankfurt, and then further to Mauritius, the Maldives, or wherever the vessel docks.”

Such agility in cargo movement is enabled not just by flight routing, but by the versatility of Condor’s newly revamped fleet. “We had 767s, which were not the most efficient aircraft anymore. Now it’s all A330s on long-haul—with very low fuel consumption of just 2.1 liters per 100 passenger-kilometers. And the last Boeing aircraft currently operated on medium-haul flights will leave our fleet end of this summer season,” he said. “Then we’ll have one of the most efficient fleets in all of Europe.”

From general cargo to life sciences

With this efficiency comes increased capability. Condor’s A330s, unlike their older 767s, now support standard container compatibility and carry a wider range of cargo types.

“We have developed products for general cargo, DGR [Dangerous Goods Regulations], and we were CEIV certified in November last year, so we can even carry healthcare shipments,” Schäfer said. “That’s very important for us, as well as Express, mail, and more. We are about to complete our service offer to ensure that customers always refer to Condor.”

This expansion of cargo services is not just a technical upgrade—it also marks a philosophical shift in how network decisions are made. “In the past, it was purely a passenger decision where we were going to fly,” Schäfer noted. “Now, we take a slight influence on network planning.”

For example, when a decision was made to fly to Panama twice weekly, Schäfer successfully lobbied for a third weekly frequency. “It makes the service much better. We are making small changes to the network—but it is obvious that we do contribute to the company’s success.”

Why Europe still matters

Despite increased competition from fast-growing Middle Eastern and Asian cargo hubs, Schäfer sees enduring strength in Europe—especially in Germany.

“Frankfurt has developed over the last decades as the reference hub in Germany and in Europe, and it still remains in that position,” he said. “It’s all about quality, efficiency, and digitalisation.”

To reinforce that position, Schäfer’s first business decision at Condor was to join the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt. “It’s important to make sure that the interest of all airlines is respected and to develop Frankfurt further,” he explained. “We’re also connecting and collaborating with industry players in Amsterdam, Liège, and beyond.”

Digital by default

Digital transformation is at the heart of Condor’s cargo strategy, and Schäfer brings deep experience to the table. “Back in my former job, I was driving digitalisation initiatives quite hard—so I just do the same here,” he said.

His second move at Condor? “We joined cargo.one. Now we are present on all three major booking platforms,” he confirmed. “eBooking is a must—it’s already a given.”

But booking platforms are only part of the digital equation. Condor is also preparing to implement IATA’s ONE Record standard by 2026. “I kicked off the ONE Record initiative with IATA back in 2014,” Schäfer shared. “So I’m really happy it’s the reference for digitalisation in our industry.”

That focus on digital innovation is even extending to Condor’s collaboration with startups. “I’m really happy that we have a joint stand with House61, the startup incubator,” he said. “It’s a signal to the market that Condor is connecting closely with the innovation industry. We don’t want to be fast followers—we want to be first movers.”