Eurowings (EW, Düsseldorf) is to lease a B767-300 ahead of the launch of long haul operations during the last quarter of the year the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has revealed. According to sources who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity, the twinjet will be wet-leased from Thomson Airways (London Luton) joining two A330-200s on wet-lease from SunExpress (XQ, Antalya).
The lease is said to be part of a deal in which Thomson Airways parent, German leisure firm TUI AG, is to acquire seats on Eurowings longhaul flights over a 3-year period.
As Lufthansa's revamped budget subsidiary, Eurowings will commence longhaul operations on November 7 with weekly flights from Cologne/Bonn to Varadero, Cuba and a 3x weekly service to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Thereafter, a 3x weekly flight to Dubai International will launch on December 17. Other destinations include Bangkok Don Mueang and Phuket in Thailand as well as Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
