Condor withdraws the last Boeing 757s from Mallorca routes – a chapter closes

A familiar sight disappears from the sky over Mallorca

If you've been at Palma Airport more often in recent years you know the dull roar of the engines: the Boeing 757 was simply part of the landscape. Now the slow end of this era has begun. Condor has announced it will gradually retire the remaining 757-300s — the last aircraft are to be withdrawn from service by early November.

Some of us still have the images in our heads: Runway 06, travelers in sunglasses, carousel 3, and the long, slender 757 that came from Germany. A special farewell flight is planned for November 5: a flight from Frankfurt via Vienna and back, for which tickets sold out surprisingly quickly. Nostalgia? Certainly. For many travelers it is simply a piece of everyday life that is disappearing.

What will happen to the jets?

After their final flights the aircraft will be flown to St. Athan in Wales. They will be parked there initially before being prepared for return to the lessor. The lessor is known in the industry by name: Crestone Air Partners. What happens afterwards is open. In practice there are not many deployment options left for the 757.

This is not new: Condor already parted with some 757-300s in 2020. Some examples ended up in storage, others found new operators — a few flew temporarily for charter companies, while some remained grounded for various reasons. The situation in Europe and demand for certain aircraft types quickly decide their future.

What does this mean for Mallorca?

In practice this means a slightly different picture in the skies over Mallorca. Some routes that were regularly operated with 757s will in future be flown with more modern narrowbodies or other types. For holidaymakers little will change — except perhaps the look at the gate. For aviation enthusiasts it is a small farewell.

At the airport staff have already said that some of the aircraft recently shuttled between Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Palma. Passengers, ground staff and plane spotters will miss the type. I watched a 757 taxi one rainy morning last year — you can feel how much certain aircraft types shape moods.

A chapter in aviation history

The 757 was a workhorse: reliable, with long range for its size. For Condor its retirement marks the end of a chapter that began in the 1990s. Whether some jets will enjoy a second career or will become part of aviation history for good remains to be seen. For Mallorca it is certainly a small cut in the everyday sky panorama.

Facts at a glance:

• Last 757-300s from Condor: phase-out by early November.
• Special farewell flight: November 5 (Frankfurt–Vienna–Frankfurt), in high demand.
• Storage/transfer in St. Athan (Wales); lessor: Crestone Air Partners.

If you want to see the typical silhouette again: keep your eyes open at the terminal, especially during late-summer and autumn trips. I will too — with a coffee in my hand and one eye on Runway 06.