Discover Airlines has retired its final Airbus A330-200, completing the withdrawal of the type from the Lufthansa Group leisure carrier’s fleet. The aircraft, D-AXGE, operated its last scheduled passenger service as flight 4Y051 from Philadelphia to Frankfurt, arriving at Frankfurt Airport at 06:30 local time on Wednesday. The retirement leaves Discover with an all-A330-300 long-haul fleet of 15 aircraft.
D-AXGE was the last of three approximately 22-year-old A330-200s that formed Discover’s initial fleet after the airline was established under the Eurowings Discover identity. It also operated Discover Airlines’ inaugural flight on 24 July 2021. Sister aircraft D-AXGB ended active service after an Orlando flight on 10 October, while D-AXGF had been inactive at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport in France since February.
The withdrawal simplifies and standardises Discover’s long-haul operation before the planned arrival of Airbus A350-900s. Four A350s are due to enter the fleet progressively from summer 2027, with the intercontinental fleet expected to reach 20 aircraft by mid-2028, including the four A350s.
All three A330-200s are to be handed over at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées to their owner or lessor, identified as AerCap, which will determine their future deployment. The aircraft retained their original Eurowings Discover livery until retirement because repainting was no longer considered economically justified.