Lithuania’s GetJet Airlines has signed a long-term ACMI partnership with German low cost carrier Eurowings, securing capacity for the airline’s high season operations from summer 2026. The agreement will see six Airbus A320 aircraft based at Hamburg Airport and operating on behalf of Eurowings across a range of European leisure and city routes. The deal deepens Eurowings’ reliance on flexible wet lease capacity as demand for summer travel continues to outpace the pace at which airlines can add owned or traditionally leased aircraft and crew.
Details of the Eurowings GetJet Agreement
Under the new accord, GetJet Airlines will station six A320 family aircraft at Eurowings’ Hamburg base from March 2026, coinciding with the start of the airline’s summer 2026 schedule. The aircraft will be operated on a full ACMI basis, meaning GetJet provides the aircraft, flight deck and cabin crews, as well as maintenance and insurance, while Eurowings controls the commercial aspects of the flights, including scheduling, sales, branding and customer service. The contract is described as long term in the ACMI segment, reflecting Eurowings’ intention to use the capacity not as a short term stopgap but as a core part of its medium term planning.
The six aircraft will primarily serve popular leisure destinations around the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and other sun markets, as well as selected intra European city routes from Northern Germany. By anchoring an entire sub fleet in Hamburg, Eurowings is signaling that the northern German market is central to its growth strategy in the coming years. Hamburg, historically a competitive but capacity constrained airport for leisure traffic, gains additional lift without Eurowings having to deploy scarce in house assets that are already heavily utilized at other bases.
For GetJet, the agreement represents a marquee contract in Western Europe and a clear vote of confidence from a major Lufthansa Group carrier. The Lithuanian ACMI and charter specialist has built its model around operating on behalf of other airlines rather than under its own consumer brand. By securing a multi season commitment in Germany, the company obtains predictable utilization hours for a significant portion of its fleet and can plan crew recruitment, training and maintenance lines well ahead of the 2026 season.
Why Eurowings is Betting on ACMI Capacity
Eurowings is far from alone in leaning heavily on ACMI and wet lease capacity to meet peak demand, but the scale of its 2026 plans is noteworthy. For the upcoming summer season, Eurowings has confirmed that it will operate up to 19 additional aircraft through external partners, including Avion Express Malta, Smartwings and now GetJet Airlines. This approach allows the airline to boost its schedule in high season while avoiding the long term costs and risks associated with taking on additional aircraft and permanent staff in house.
ACMI contracts such as the new GetJet deal are particularly attractive in a market still digesting the disruptions of the pandemic years, continuing supply chain bottlenecks and tight availability of both new and used aircraft. Airlines like Eurowings face strong demand during school holidays and peak summer months, but those same aircraft might sit underused in shoulder seasons if they were owned or on long term dry lease. By outsourcing aircraft and crew on a seasonal or multi seasonal basis, Eurowings can ramp up and down more dynamically, paying for capacity largely in line with demand.
Labor markets also play a role. Recruiting and training pilots, flight attendants, engineers and ground staff in major European bases is increasingly time consuming and expensive. ACMI providers based in markets with different cost structures can sometimes supply fully qualified crews more quickly and at a competitive overall rate. For Eurowings, that means it can focus its internal employment strategy on core bases and long term needs, while relying on partners to plug gaps in peak season and on specific routes.
GetJet Airlines’ Expansion Strategy for 2026
The Eurowings contract aligns closely with GetJet Group’s broader expansion plans for 2026. The group recently unveiled a growth strategy that includes a corporate rebrand under the unified GetJet name, fleet expansion and the creation of around 200 new jobs across several countries. The company is positioning itself as a leading global ACMI and charter specialist, with operations extending beyond the European Union into the Middle East and other high growth markets.
GetJet’s business is structured around several complementary units, including ACMI and charter operations from Lithuania and Malta, a dedicated aviation asset management and maintenance arm and a training organization. This integrated model gives the group more control over critical capabilities such as line and heavy maintenance, as well as crew training and recurrent checks, which are essential for delivering reliable wet lease operations. With additional aircraft scheduled to join the fleet in early 2026, the group is clearly preparing for a busy year of contracted flying.
In recent seasons, GetJet has secured work with a range of international airlines across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, including contracts with full service carriers and leisure airlines looking to bridge capacity gaps or test new routes. The Eurowings partnership, however, stands out because of its scale and its visibility within the competitive German market. Basing six aircraft in Hamburg under a single contract reflects a level of trust and operational integration that goes beyond ad hoc subcharter work.
Operational Setup at Hamburg Airport
From an operational perspective, concentrating a six aircraft sub fleet in Hamburg will create a mini base for GetJet within Eurowings’ network. Aircraft will be parked, serviced and rotated through maintenance at Hamburg, operating early morning departures and late evening returns to maximize utilization. Eurowings will schedule the flights as part of its regular timetable, and passengers will book them under the Eurowings code, with the operating carrier typically indicated in the booking details and at the gate.
The aircraft are expected to be configured in high density all economy layouts appropriate for leisure traffic, with seating capacities broadly comparable to Eurowings’ own A320 fleet. While GetJet’s cabin product and seat design may differ from Eurowings’ in house aircraft, the flight experience will be integrated into Eurowings’ overall service concept, including boarding procedures, on board sales and handling of irregular operations. Ground handling, check in and baggage services in Hamburg will continue to be coordinated under Eurowings’ existing arrangements, ensuring consistency from the passenger perspective.
Synchronizing crew rostering, aircraft rotations and maintenance events between two companies is a complex undertaking. For summer 2026, both partners will be working backwards from the published schedule to design stable patterns that minimize delays and positioning flights, while building in buffers for peak traffic days. The long lead time before the start of the contract allows GetJet to recruit crews, particularly German speaking cabin staff where needed, and to align training with Eurowings’ safety and service procedures.
What Passengers Can Expect on GetJet Operated Flights
For most travelers, the most visible sign of the Eurowings GetJet partnership will appear at the gate, where a GetJet branded aircraft will park on a flight sold under the Eurowings name. Modern consumer protection rules and industry practice mean that the operating carrier is usually disclosed during the booking process, in confirmation documents and on airport information screens. Nonetheless, some passengers may only notice when they see the livery on the aircraft waiting at the jet bridge.
On board, service standards are designed to be closely aligned with Eurowings’ own offering. Cabin crew will follow Eurowings’ procedures for safety demonstrations, announcements and on board sales, and passengers will earn and redeem loyalty currency according to Eurowings’ policies if applicable on the ticket purchased. Minor differences may include the design of seats, cabin lighting, galley layouts and details of in cabin signage, reflecting the fact that the aircraft come from GetJet’s existing fleet rather than being built to Eurowings’ internal specification.
From a safety and regulatory standpoint, flights operated by GetJet under ACMI for Eurowings are overseen by the Lithuanian and European Union aviation authorities, as well as by Eurowings’ own quality and safety teams. Wet lease partners are subject to audits, ongoing performance monitoring and regular checks on everything from maintenance standards to crew training records. For passengers, the practical implication is that safety benchmarks are harmonized across the network, whether they are flying on a Eurowings aircraft or one supplied by a partner such as GetJet.
ACMI as a Strategic Tool in European Aviation
The Eurowings GetJet agreement underscores how ACMI has evolved from a niche solution for short term capacity problems into a central pillar of network planning for many European airlines. Initially associated mainly with emergency cover or one off charter projects, wet lease capacity is now woven into multi year strategies, enabling carriers to scale their fleets rapidly, respond to seasonal spikes and test new markets with limited risk. The sheer number of ACMI and wet lease deals announced for the 2025 and 2026 seasons across Europe illustrates the depth of this trend.
For smaller and mid sized carriers, partnering with dedicated ACMI providers offers a route to growth without stretching balance sheets or taking on the full operational complexity of running a large fleet year round. For the providers themselves, long term contracts such as the Eurowings deal create stable revenue streams and support investment in newer aircraft, advanced maintenance capabilities and training infrastructure. The result is a more specialized ecosystem in which some companies focus primarily on customers and brand, while others specialize in delivering flexible, turnkey capacity.
There are trade offs. Outsourcing a significant portion of flying to partners can raise questions about product consistency and direct control over day to day operations. Passengers who value brand familiarity may also need reassurance that wet leased flights meet the same standards as those operated by the home airline. However, growing transparency about the use of partner airlines and more sophisticated oversight frameworks have gone some way toward addressing these concerns. In a constrained capacity environment, ACMI remains one of the few practical levers airlines can pull quickly to respond to demand without overcommitting in the long run.
Implications for Hamburg and Northern European Leisure Travel
For Hamburg and the surrounding region, the decision to base six GetJet aircraft at the airport from summer 2026 is a notable development. It signals Eurowings’ confidence in the city’s role as a gateway for holidaymakers from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia, particularly on short and medium haul routes to Mediterranean beaches and island destinations. Additional capacity often translates into more frequencies, new destinations and potentially sharper competition on fares, particularly where Eurowings competes with other low cost and leisure carriers.
The move could also have a modest but meaningful impact on local employment and ancillary services, as stationing six aircraft at Hamburg generates demand for ground handling staff, catering, cleaning, maintenance support and airport services. While flight and cabin crews will be employed by GetJet and may be based across several countries, the day to day operation of the aircraft relies on a broader ecosystem at the airport itself. For Hamburg Airport, the partnership reinforces its role in the networks of both Eurowings and its ACMI partners, potentially supporting future route development beyond 2026.
More broadly, the Eurowings GetJet deal contributes to a pattern of deepening links between Northern European carriers and ACMI specialists based in the Baltics and other parts of Eastern Europe. As these relationships mature into multi year commitments, passengers can expect to see partner operated aircraft become a normal feature of the travel landscape rather than an occasional curiosity. For travelers, understanding what ACMI means and how wet lease arrangements function is increasingly part of being an informed flyer, particularly during the busy summer months.