AIDAnova has four dual-fuel hybrid engines, which can use either LNG or traditional fuel oil.[7]
Her delivery was marred by delays; complications arose from her engineering being the first-of-its-kind for a ship of her scale. In October 2018, the first postponement was announced, cancelling all scheduled preview cruises.[10] A small fire had also broken out during its construction in the shipyard, delaying her sea trials.[10] Her maiden voyage was then scheduled for 2 December 2018 from Hamburg.[10] Later, in November 2018, a second postponement was announced.[11] Her sea trials were scheduled to begin on 16 November 2018 and all work was scheduled to be completed by 30 November 2018.[11]AIDAnova was delivered on 12 December 2018 and her maiden voyage was on 19 December 2018 for a seven-day cruise from Santa Cruz de Tenerife around the Canary Islands and Madeira.[12]
As of September 2019, AIDAnova was sailing on cruises around the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.[5] In 2022 it has been sailing in Northern Europe, the port of Nordfjordeid in Norway is visited on every cruise.[13]