Edmonton, the capital city of the province of Alberta, is to become the fifth destination in Canada to be served by German leisure carrier Condor.

The airline will launch a nonstop route between Frankfurt (FRA) and Edmonton International (YEG) from May 2023. The market is currently unserved and will become YEG’s second direct flight to Europe alongside KLM’s operations from Amsterdam (AMS).

Details of the new service came as Condor revealed it intends to order a total of 41 aircraft as part of its short- and medium-haul fleet renewal plans. The deal comprises 13 Airbus A320neo and 28 A321neo as well as further purchase rights.

Condor already offers summer season routes from Frankfurt to Halifax {{(YHZ}}), Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR) and Whitehorse (YXY), as well as flying between FRA and YYZ during the winter months.

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that the inaugural Edmonton flight will take place on May 25 and the 7,311-km (4,543-mi.) route will be offered twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.

“Connecting with international hubs is an important step in restimulating the economy, and this new flight will help to propel and diversify both business and leisure travel and provide direct cargo access for Canadians and Europeans,” said Myron Keehn, VP of air service and business development at Edmonton International.

Edmonton is the fifth largest city in Canada with a population of more than 1.4 million inhabitants. According to OAG data, the largest airline by capacity at YEG is WestJet, one of Condor’s interline partners.

Traci Bednard, president and CEO of destination marketing organization Explore Edmonton, said Germany is Edmonton’s second largest European market and European visitors are a big segment of the city’s long-haul, international visitor makeup.

“This flight will help Explore Edmonton attract more high-spend visitors from Germany, and Europe, that will stay longer and spend more time discovering Edmonton, our region, Jasper, and Northern Alberta,” she said.

Condor’s flights to Edmonton will be on board Boeing 767-300 aircraft, although the carrier is currently in the process of renewing its long-haul fleet. The airline expects to debut its first A330neo this autumn and hopes to take approximately one per month to replace its ageing 767s.

As well as the widebody modernization, the airline on July 25 said it has decided to order 13 A320neos and 28 A321neos to replace its A320/A321s and 757s. Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled to begin from spring 2024.

"With the replacement of our entire long-haul fleet with the latest two-litre aircraft by early 2024, it is the obvious next step for us to modernize our short-haul and medium-haul fleet as well,” Condor CEO Ralf Teckentrup said.