‍FRANKFURT — German leisure carrier Discover Airlines (4Y) has announced that it will be bringing on four Airbus A350-900s secondhand from its parent company. The widebody jets will show up beginning mid-2027.

The Lufthansa Group carrier notes that these higher-capacity and range aircraft will initially be assigned to existing routes like Orlando (MCO) and Windhoek (WDH); however, this acquisition opens the door to longer-haul destinations with leisure-based demand.

According to One Mile at a Time, the four 2018-built Airbus A350 are former Philippine Airlines (PR) aircraft delivered to the German flag carrier in 2022. They all retain their former operator’s cabins, which are a step above Lufthansa’s current cabins on the majority of the A350 fleet, but not quite up to par with the new Alegris hardware. 

“With the further development and expansion of our fleet – including the planned deployment of the Airbus A350 – we are further strengthening our existing offering, with even more comfort and attractive options for our guests. Additional aircraft, greater range, and a new cabin product will enable us to respond even better to the needs of travelers,” says Discover CEO, Bernd Bauer. “Now it is time for us to quickly create the conditions for integrating the Airbus A350 into our fleet.”

Discover will be the fifth operator of the Airbus A350 in the Lufthansa group, following Lufthansa (LH) proper, ITA Airways (AZ), Edelweiss Air (WS), and, more recently, SWISS (LX), the delivery of which was attended by Airways.

Other Fleet Adjustments

Discover currently operates an all-Airbus fleet consisting of 16 A320-200s, 3 A330-200s, and 11 A330-300s split between bases in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC). By mid-2028, the carrier intends to grow the fleet from 30 to 40 aircraft.

This starts next year with the addition of two A320s for short to medium haul operations, followed by another two mid-2028. It hasn’t been specified by the airline which generation of the A320, nor where these aircraft will be sourced.

Also in 2026, 4Y intends to phase out its trio of A330-200s completely. They will be replaced with the addition of 5 more A330-300s from mainline LH, which will be retiring the type from their fleet with the transfer of the other two of 7 in service jets to Brussels Airlines.

When all is said and done, the carrier’s 2028 fleet will feature 20 A320s, 16 A330-300s, and of course, four A350-900s. The leisure carrier also notes that from 2027, all of the A330 fleet will be equipped with a next-generation cabin in all three classes; however, this was not expanded upon in the announcement.