German carrier Condor has ended 35 years of operating the Boeing 757 with a special farewell flight using the last example in its fleet. The aircraft carried over 100 passengers on a round-trip from Frankfurt to Vienna on November 5, 2025, before being retired from commercial passenger service.
For over 30 years, the pencil-like shape of the Boeing 757 has formed the backbone of Condor’s short and medium-haul fleet. According to ch-aviation, the airline has operated 18 Boeing 757-200s and nine of the longer 757-300s during that time. However, the remaining aircraft have been retired in recent weeks, with several being ferried to Cotswold Airport in the UK for parting out.
However, on November 5, 2025, the German leisure airline used its final example, Boeing 757-300 registered as D-ABOM and coloured in a red-and-white candy-striped livery to operate the farewell flight between Frankfurt and Vienna. On board were long-standing staff members of the carrier and journalists, as well as die-hard fans of the Boeing 757. A total of 75 tickets were auctioned via the Condor online shop back in September 2025 for a chance to be on the final flight.
The commemorations began at 10:27 local time as the aircraft, known as ‘Red Passion’ because of its bright red livery, pushed back off its stand at Frankfurt-Main Airport (FRA) for the flight to Vienna with the specially allocated flight number DE757. The aircraft arrived in Vienna at 11:34, an hour and seven minutes after taking off from Frankfurt.
My being in Frankfurt this week wasn’t for nothing. I wanted to photograph the B757 on its final takeoff. @Condor retires its last #boeing757300. I will probably never have the opportunity to fly on a B757 🥺 pic.twitter.com/Di8ahtLTtA
— Flo (@florianbouchard) November 6, 2025
At Vienna Airport (VIE), the aircraft was met with a water salute by the airport fire brigade while a party at the airport fire station saw pretzels, schnapps, and a brass band entertain the lucky passengers. At 14:28, the aircraft was once again airborne and heading back to Frankfurt for what Condor had billed as “the world’s highest party.”
As the plane headed home, over Northern Germany, the flight crew drew a large ‘757’ image for the benefit of 1.2 million spectators watching on the ground using aircraft radar tracking websites.
Onboard, a live DJ played records from the 757’s forward galley, while aisle seats were folded to allow a makeshift dance floor to be created while the cabin lights pulsed in various colours. Flight attendants on the flights served ‘757 Sunset’ cocktails and handed out enamel wing pins to those on the flight.
Let’s have a party in the sky on board @Condor #boeing757 D-ABOM during today’s #farewell757 en route VIE-FRA, deliberately extended to flight time of 1:47 hrs. 👋 long lady 😓 #avgeek pic.twitter.com/OpSvXPGshq
— Andreas Spaeth (@SpaethFlies) November 5, 2025
At 16:16 local time, the 25-year-old Boeing 757-300 touched down on Frankfurt’s runway 07C, bringing down the curtain on 35 years of commercial 757 flights operated by the airline. Again, as in Vienna, airport fire-truck water cannons formed an arch while passengers inside waved yellow glow-sticks and clapped with nostalgia.
The airline has operated Boeing aircraft for 35 years, having also operated 18 Boeing 767-300ERs alongside the 757s over the years. However, the Boeing era has been overtaken by the Airbus era at the airline. The carrier now operates a fleet of 20 A320s, three A320neos, 13 A321s, six A321neos, and 18 A330-900neos. It also has a further 43 next-generation Airbus planes on order for delivery in the coming years.
The decision to retire the type symbolizes more than just a fleet modernization process. It highlights Condor’s push towards sustainability and more environmentally conscious operations with a newer fleet, as the last of the Boeings bows out.
“By bidding farewell to the Boeing 757, an era at Condor comes to an end,” said Christian Schmitt, COO of Condor. “At the same time, this marks the beginning of a new chapter with a modern, more efficient, and more sustainable Airbus fleet.”
“Moreover, Condor has long since become more than just a leisure airline, as evidenced by our expanded network with new city connections. That is why our farewell flight combined the nostalgia of our last Boeing 757 with a joyful look into the future, symbolized by our city destination, Vienna.”
