On May 24, 2001, Fairbanks welcomed Condor Airline’s inaugural flight from Frankfurt, Germany into the Golden Heart City. There have been 232 weekly seasonal flights since that initial flight in 2001, resulting in a total of almost 14,200 passengers who have flown into Fairbanks. This includes local residents who have used Condor Airlines as a convenient way to travel across the pole to Germany or beyond.

Explore Fairbanks and Condor Airlines celebrated the 15^th year of seasonal service last Thursday, July 16^th, at the Fairbanks International Airport with incoming and outgoing Condor passengers. Representatives from the Condor office in Chicago, as well as officials from Explore Fairbanks, were at the event and available for media interviews or quick chats with passengers.

Condor is offering 11 weekly flights between Frankfurt, Germany and Fairbanks, AK for summer 2015. For summer 2016, the airline is expanding with an additional two flights.

About Explore Fairbanks

Explore Fairbanks is a non-profit marketing organization whose mission is to be an economic driver in the Fairbanks region by marketing to potential visitors and optimizing the visitor experience. Explore Fairbanks markets Fairbanks as a year-round destination by promoting local events, attractions and activities to independent travelers, group tour operators, travel agents, meeting planners and the media. Find out more at <link http: www.explorefairbanks.com>explorefairbanks.com.

Interesting facts about Condor’s service in Alaska and the Yukon

• Condor’s tagline “Born to fly” aptly fits to Alaska, our residents as well as visitors.

• Direct air access is key to viably connecting overseas visitors to Alaska.

• The visitors from German-speaking Europe have a preference for wilderness travel, thus a “natural” affinity for Alaska.

• In 1993, Condor Airlines introduced the first flights to Alaska, linking Frankfurt to Anchorage with one flight weekly throughout the summer season.

• In 1996, flights to Anchorage were increased to twice weekly. Whitehorse in Yukon Territory was added to one of the routes in 1999, thus cementing a popular German-speaking Europe tour pattern including Yukon-Alaska itineraries.

• Condor inaugurated summer seasonal weekly non-stop flights to Fairbanks in 2001. The original flight pattern of Frankfurt-Whitehorse-Fairbanks-Frankfurt arrived on Thursdays from about mid-May through mid-September. Today, the flight pattern is Frankfurt-Anchorage-Fairbanks-Frankfurt, still operating summer seasonal weekly service.

• This summer, Fairbanks will have a total of 11 flights from Condor, and next summer it will increase to 13.

• Because of these Condor flights, Fairbanks has the distinction of being the smallest U.S. market with nonstop service to Europe.

• Since the inception of these flights, Condor has transported nearly 14,200 passengers between Europe and Fairbanks. The vast majority of these passengers are Europeans who have come over the Pole to explore Alaska and the Yukon.