Wizz Air to open 38th base at Bari............The budget airline will base one Airbus A321 aircraft at Bari airport in December 2020

Wizz Air, the budget carrier from Hungary has confirmed its 38 base will be Bari. The airline will base one Airbus A321 aircraft at Bari airport in December 2020. Along with the establishment of the new base and complementing the already operated 16 routes, Wizz Air announced 3 new routes from Bari to Bologna, Turin, Verona, 3 new routes from Milan Malpensa to Naples, Brindisi, Lamezia Terme and one new route connecting Catania with Verona, starting from December 2020. The Bari - Milan Malpensa route’s frequency will be raised from seven to eleven flights per week.

The further development of Wizz Air’s offering from Bari, Milan Malpensa and Catania, as well as the establishment of its 3 Italian base in Bari, underpins the airline’s long term commitment to bring ever more affordable and greener travel opportunities to its Italian travellers. Wizz Air started flying to Bari in 2010, and since then has carried almost 1 million passengers to and from that city. The base establishment will create over 40 new direct jobs. With this investment Wizz Air will contribute to economic development and create hundreds of new jobs in the local job market. 

Wizz Air adds another destination from Eindhoven Airport - Rzeszów in Poland

Wizz Air will fly twice a week between Eindhoven Airport in Netherlands and Rzeszów in Poland from 6th November. The Hungarian airline will initially fly on Mondays and Fridays between Eindhoven and the Polish city in southeastern Poland. From December 20th, flights will be on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Rzeszów is an emerging university city in Poland, home to several companies active in innovation and technology. In addition, tourism is also becoming an increasingly important economic factor. 

Rzeszów is the eighth Polish destination connecting Wizz Air with Eindhoven. This brings the number of Wizz Air destinations from Eindhoven Airport to 26.

Eindhoven Airport is the second largest airport in the Netherlands with over 6 million passengers in 2018. The airport serves Brainport region and connects it with Europe and makes the region internationally accessible in balance with surroundings.

 

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CDB Aviation confirmed lease deal for an additional six Airbus A321neos to Wizz Air

One of the leading global aircraft leasing firms, CDB Aviation, has confirmed a massive deal with budget carrier Wizz Air for the sale and leaseback transaction for a batch of six Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The European low-cost-carrier Wizz Air is expected to receive four A321neos in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the remaining two slated for the second quarter of 2022. These powerful aircraft feature Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and are configured with the widest single-aisle cabin, jam-packed with 239 seats in a single-class layout.

“We are very pleased that the Wizz Air team has again elected to turn to our platform for the financing of these additional aircraft in the sale and leaseback channel,” stated Paul Boyle, CDB Aviation’s Head of Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

Wizz Air to launch flights between Eindhoven and Sheffield.

Sheffield gets a new destination with Wizz Air

Starting on the 25th of October, Wizz Air will be flying twice a week between Eindhoven and Sheffield. The new routes will mean Sheffield becomes the fourth British destination to be reached from Eindhoven. Flights are on Wednesdays and Sundays and operated with an Airbus A320 (180 seats). Doncaster-Sheffield International Airport "Robin Hood" connects Eindhoven with the centrally located Yorkshire town where it developed from an industrial zone to a leading business and AgriFood centre. The airport itself was voted "UK's Best Airport” for the third time in a row last year.

Eindhoven Airport is the second largest airport in the Netherlands with over 6 million passengers in 2018. The airport serves Brainport region and connects it with Europe and makes the region internationally accessible in balance with surroundings. The convenience for the passenger comes from the airport Álways Easy’ strategy.

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CDB Aviation and Wizz Air Agree Sale-Leaseback for Four New A321neos

Image Wizz Air

CDB Aviation, confirmed on Wednesday the signing of a sale and leaseback agreement for a fleet of four new Airbus A321neo aircraft with the company’s current customer, Wizz Air,  the largest Central and Eastern European low-cost carrier.

“The unrelenting drive to stimulate new markets demonstrates Wizz Air’s strategic efforts to aid the region’s nascent air travel recovery, while opportunely positioning its platform for the resumption of growth,” asserted CDB Aviation Chief Marketing Officer Peter Goodman.

Wizz Air, the largest Airbus customer of the A321neo variant, is expected to take deliveries of the four neos between the first and third quarters of 2021. Powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and featuring the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a single class configuration, the aircraft will bolster the airline’s all-Airbus fleet serving short-haul operations.

Wizz Air to open Doncaster Sheffield base

From now on 7 new routes are available from Wizz Air's new UK base Doncaster Sheffield. Explore Malaga, discover Alicante, plan with Faro, see Kosice, tick off Larnaca, tour in Lublin and make memories Suceava!

The budget carrier Wizz Air, has confirmed plans to open a new base at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the second base for Wizz Air UK, alongside London Luton. The airline will allocate one Airbus A320 aircraft to the Yorkshire airport and will launch seven new routes to add to its existing Doncaster Sheffield network of ten routes.

Wizz Air’s first flight from Doncaster Sheffield Airport took off over 14 years ago, and since then WIZZ has grown to be the airport’s largest carrier, with over 1 million passengers every year flying on the airline’s ultra-low central and eastern European routes. With the creation of a new base at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Wizz Air will launch new connections to destinations including the Spanish cities of Alicante and Malaga, Larnaca in Cyprus, Faro in Portugal, Lublin in Poland, Kosice in Slovakia and Suceava in Romania. 

With the creation of a new Wizz Air UK base at Doncaster Sheffield, Wizz Air will not only increase the annual capacity of Doncaster Sheffield Airport by 150,000 seats, providing local passengers with even more affordable and exciting travel opportunities.

With the allocation of this aircraft, Wizz Air now has 11 aircraft permanently based in the UK, and the addition of these new routes from Doncaster Sheffield means WIZZ has almost 1.8 million seats on sale on its 107 routes from the UK for the remainder of 2020. The creation of this new base also follows on from Wizz Air’s recent announcements of new bases in Bacău, Dortmund, Lviv, Larnaca, Milan-Malpensa, Tirana, Saint Petersburg and the launch of over 200 new routes across the network since April 2020.

Chris Harcombe, Director of Aviation Development at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: “We are delighted to bring more ultra-low fares to DSA, to these popular destinations loved by our customers and served by an airline who pride themselves on providing affordable travel, with an excellent reputation. It is a shared intention to bring further aircraft as part of this agreement within a matter of months.

“There is no doubt that the aviation sector faces its greatest challenge in modern day history at this time. It is essential that the UK Government acknowledges and supports airlines and airports that bring much needed investment into the UK economy. Doncaster Sheffield Airport contributes over £60 million to the Sheffield City Region and offers job security for thousands of people.”

Robert Hough, Chairman of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: “Our partnership with Wizz Air is incredibly special to our business. Both Wizz Air and Doncaster Sheffield Airport began their journeys’ in the early 2000s as challenger brands with a shared desire to provide opportunity for the people of our respective markets through obtainable travel. 

“Fast forward 15 years and Wizz Air is one of Europe’s most successful and well-established airlines and Doncaster Sheffield Airport as one of the UKs fastest growing airports – it’s a true partnership that has gone from strength to strength.”The only way is DSA thanks to Wizz Air’s second UK base taking up residency at Doncaster Sheffield Airport and we look forward to The GC strutting over our runway very soon!

Route	Operating Days	Starts	Fares from**
Doncaster Sheffield – Alicante	Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	22 Oct 2020	£21.99
Doncaster Sheffield - Malaga	Monday, Friday	23 Oct 2020	£21.99
Doncaster Sheffield - Larnaca	Wednesday, Sunday	25 Oct 2020	£26.99
Doncaster Sheffield – Lublin	Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	22 Oct 2020	£17.99
Doncaster Sheffield - Kosice	Monday, Friday	23 Oct 2020	£17.99
Doncaster Sheffield - Faro	Monday, Friday	23 Oct 2020	£21.99
Doncaster Sheffield - Suceava	Wednesday, Sunday	25 Oct 2020	£21.99

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Wizz Air warns of slot fraud at London Gatwick and calls for an end to waiver of use-it-or-lose-it rules

The budget airline Wizz Air has condemned what it calls Slot Fraud at London Gatwick Airport. The airline that hates anyone who has ever travelled business class and believes moving more people is more environmentally sustainable claims that £1.5 billion worth of slot pairs at Gatwick are being blocked for shrinking 'tax-payer funded' airlines.

 In its latest attack, the carrier says, 'at Gatwick Airport, incumbent airlines have publicly stated that they believe that it could take years until their levels of demand return to normal and that they will scale back their operations at, or withdraw from, the airport entirely. Yet they seek to retain slots that they have no intention of operating in the near future but object to the entry of new airlines – this is nothing more than anti-competitive slot-blocking.  A significant proportion of the slots at Gatwick Airport, which in total are worth some  £1.5 billion ** are currently being blocked by airlines which have received tax-payer loans, but continue to contract.'  

Tirana becomes a new base for Wizz Air

Wizz Air, has opened a new base in Tirana and based an Airbus A320 at Tirana International Airport. Along with the establishment of the new base and complementing the already operated ten routes, Wizz Air announced 15 new routes to eight countries from Tirana starting from July 2020, bringing the total to 25 destinations from Tirana International Airport. The two other aircraft are expected to arrive in two weeks’ time, the company announced.

“It is a very important day for us and hopefully Wizz Air will remain strong in the market while serving to many Albanians in different destinations. This means economic growth, new opportunities to travel and hope that borders will be open soon for all the Albanian citizens that would like to visit Europe and not only. Two more aircraft are expected to be based at TIA and this will be a good sign for a great restart of all our operations hopefully”, said Chief Operation Officer of Tirana International Airport, Mr. Volker Wendefeuer.

Wizz reopens Skopje base

Wizz Air, the leading low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe has reopened its Skopje base, and it has restarted the routes from both Skopje and Ohrid airports on 1 of July. Passengers can book flights on a total of 34 routes to some of the most popular countries such as: Germany, Italy and Sweden.

To help passengers and crew travel safely and worry-free, Wizz Air has implemented additional hygiene measures to support physical distancing during boarding and enhanced cleanliness on board. As part of the measures to protect the health of customers and crew, customers should check-in and make any purchases online, such as paying for additional bags, to reduce non-essential interaction at the airport. To contain the spread of possible infection, passengers are kindly asked to adhere to the new physical distancing rules both during boarding and disembarkation.

Wizz Air to start Cyprus route from Eindhoven

Wizz Air at Eindhoven                                                                       Photo Eindhoven Airport

Starting on the 1st of August, the budget carrier Wizz Air will be flying three times a week between Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands and Larnaca in Cyprus, the airline and airport have confirmed.

This will provide Eindhoven Airport with a direct connection to Cyprus for the first time. Wizz will operate the flights three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with an Airbus A320 featuring 180 seats. 

Larnaca airport is the largest airport in Cyprus with 8.3 million passengers in 2019 and will be a welcome addition to the Eindhoven Airport destination network. It is a popular holiday destination. In addition, the island in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea is a business interesting destination for companies active in shipping.

Airport extends deal with PSV Eindhoven

Frans Janssen (PSV) en Roel Hellemons (Eindhoven Airport). Partnership

Wizz Air to open its first Russian base in Saint Petersburg.

Wizz Air, the airline that wants to ban business class travel, has confirmed it will open a base in Russia this September.    The budget carrier says it will open a base in Saint Petersburg, which 1 Airbus A320 based at the city's Pulkovo Airport. 

To go along with this new opening,  the carrier that made huge profits from operating repatriation flights and got a massive cash injection from the UK Government, will introduce five new services from the airport from 18 September 2020. 

Wizz Air reopens bases at Craiova, Sibiu and Timișoara

Wizz Air, has reopened its bases in Sibiu, Timișoara and Craiova base and will operate flights to a range of destinations including Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 

To help passengers and crew travel safely and worry-free, Wizz Air has implemented additional hygiene measures to support physical distancing during boarding and enhanced cleanliness on board. 

Wizz Air to expand with new bases in Italy, Cyprus, Ukraine and Albania

The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has confirmed on Friday that it will be expanding its European route network by opening four new bases - Milan in Italy, Larnaca in Cyprus, Lviv in Ukraine and Tirana in Albania.

The airline has already said that it plans to offer incredibly low tickets to stimulate passenger traffic, regardless of safety implications.  “We see the potential to re-stimulate demand for low-cost travel and contribute to the vital recovery of tourism in these markets,” said Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi.

Ait carrier says that up to 11 new aircraft will be deployed across the new bases operating approximately 50 new routes. 

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, was partly bailed out by the UK government during the coronavirus COVID-19 crisis has also announced this week that it will prolong the period of suspension for several routes to and from Romania following the extension of existing travel restrictions announced by the Romanian authorities. As a result, the flights to Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The United Kingdom and The Netherlands remain suspended until June 16th inclusive.

Many other route suspensions have been extended until the end of the first week of June at least as a second wave of infections seems to be starting in some European countries. 

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Wizz Air boss claims young are keen to fly again as the airline helps people breakout of lockdown

Wizz Air at Luton  Photo Luton Airport / Wizz Air

The Hungarian airline that was partly bailed out by the UK government is looking to continue to increase its flight schedules regardless of travel bans and lockdowns. 

Wizz Air founder József Váradi confirmed the airline was selling around 75% of seats on its flights regardless of social distancing advice from various governments and health organizations.  "One of the trends we are sensing is young people want to be back in the air quite quickly," he told the BBC

In the interview, Váradi indicated that some people are now flying to visit relatives, to second homes or because "they just want to break out of the current lockdown" and he's happy for that to continue.

He also told how he was frustrated with the general lack of uniformity with regulations to the many destinations it flies to. "It's a bit of a zoo," he bemoaned, "no two countries" are applying the same standards, or interpreting them in the same way. Váradi wants balance globally, between restrictions to stop the spread of the virus and the need to restart business: "Countries and people cannot be locked down forever."

Wizz Air plan to restart flying from Luton from 1st May

Wizz Air at Luton.                                                                    Photo Luton Airport / Wizz Air

Following a massive cash injection from the government, the low-cost carrier Wizz Air confirmed it will be starting a limited number of flights from Luton in the UK from 1st May.

The airline says it will restart some services to 'provide an essential service to passengers who need to travel' although many believe the carriers use of the word 'essential'  is at best misleading and is more to do with maximizing revenues during the fruit picking season in the UK.   

The airline has said the flights will be going to and from various Romania destinations - largely to capitalise on transporting increased numbers of low wage fruit pickers needed to harvest British products. The airline will also fly to Budapest in Hungary, Lisbon in Portugal and Tenerife.

Owain Jones, Wizz Air UK’s managing director, said: “As we restart selected Luton flights to provide an essential service to passengers who need to travel, our primary concern is the health, safety and well-being of our customers and crew. The protective measures that we are implementing will ensure the most sanitary conditions possible. We encourage our customers to watch our new video on how to stay safe when travelling, as well as for more details on our new health and safety measures.”

The airline confirmed the crew would wear masks and gloves throughout the flight and would hand out sanitising wipes. Additionally, the aircraft would be fully disinfected every night, although crucially, not between flights during the day.  The instigation of the new schedule would be in complete contradiction to the current UK government FCO advice for all Britons to avoid all non-essential global travel indefinitely.

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Wizz Air axes routes between Romania and Great Britain, Switzerland and The Netherlands

Photo Wizz Air

Wizz Air, confirmed this week that has suspended its routes between Romania and Great Britain, Switzerland and The Netherlands starting from the 5 April until the 18 April. The measure is due to new travel restrictions imposed by Romanian authorities on all flights from Romania to these countries in the efforts to limit the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the restrictions from Romania and all over Europe, the routes to Belgium, Austria, Spain, France and Germany remain suspended until the 30 April.

Like many other airlines,  Wizz Air has been operating some special flights, repatriating citizens and transporting medical equipment for east European governments. However,  these flights have been paid for by the respective governments, as the airlines Chief Executive Officer Jozsef Varadi told news agency Reuters  “We try to do the right thing. -Yes, governments and other institutions pay for the flights, but this is not the time to make a profit ... The most important issue here is to help.”

More route suspensions from Wizz Air

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe has announced more route suspensions due to ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic within the last week. 

Tuzla                                                                                         Photo Enidhoven Airport 

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bosnian government decision to temporarily close all airport borders for commercial passenger flights has meant the airline suspending its Budapest-Sarajevo route until 15 April. It has also axed all flights in and out of Tuzla initially until 30 April 2020.

Ukraine

As a result of Kyiv International Airport’s prolonged closure due to extended Ukrainian Government’s restrictions, Wizz Air has suspended its IEV operations until 1 May 2020.

Northern Macedonia 

As a result of the prolonging of the travel restrictions imposed on all foreign flights to and from the Republic of Northern Macedonia, the airline will extend the suspension of all its flights to and from the Skopje until the 30 April inclusive.

Moldova

The government of the Republic of Moldova has imposed restrictions on all foreign flights to and from Moldova which has forced Wizz Air to cut all services in and out of the country until 30 April.

Romania
Wizz has suspended all routes from Romania to France and Germany until the 8 of April and UK until 1 May. 

Wizz Air cancels more flights over the coronavirus pandemic

Entry restrictions and travel bans have hit the Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz hard, with many of its home markets closed completely.  The airline is currently in dire straits and has issued the following list of services that are cancelled.

Flight suspensions across Wizz Air’s markets

Travel bans halt a number of Wizz Air flights.......

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, has announced that as a result of the travel restrictions imposed by various governments it has had to suspend a number of flights.

Moldova

The government of The Republic of Moldova has banned all foreign flights to and from Moldova effective as of 00:00 HRS local time on 15 March 2020, therefore Wizz Air has suspended all its flights to and from Moldova until 31 March and maybe longer.

The travel restrictions come as a response to minimise the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in no foreign citizens permitted entry to the Republic of Moldova. Passengers with bookings affected by flight suspensions will be automatically informed via e-mail, in case the customers booked directly on wizzair.com or via the airline’s mobile app.

Latvia

Due to the new restrictions imposed on arrivals into Latvia, the carrier has confirmed that from 17 March 2020, it will suspend all its flights to and from Latvia initially until 14 April 2020.

Poland

Wizz Air has also been forced to suspend all its flights to and from Poland until further notice after travel restrictions were imposed on all foreign flights announced by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The ban took effect from 00:00 HRS March 15, 2020.

In all cases, passengers affected by the flight suspensions will be automatically informed via e-mail if they booked directly with the airline or via the airline’s mobile app. 120% of the original fare will automatically be uploaded to the customer’s WIZZ account, with the amount to be used in the next 24 months for the purchase of Wizz Air products and services.  Passengers can also opt for a cash refund – which will take longer to complete – and will be informed about the necessary steps for a bank transfer or transfer to a bank card in a separate e-mail. In this case, customers will be eligible for only 100% of the original fare. Passengers who made their bookings via travel agencies – including online travel agencies – should get in touch with the company from which they purchased their tickets.

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Air Transport World Names Wizz Air 2020 Airline of the Year

Aviation Week Network’s Air Transport World (ATW), the leading media brand serving the information needs of the global airline and commercial air transport communities, announced today that Wizz Air has been named the ATW 2020 Airline of the Year. It is the first time that the Award has been bestowed on an ultra-low-cost carrier.

The 2020 Airline of the Year award will be presented as the top honor at ATW's 46th Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards Ceremony on June 2 in Vienna, Austria. The full list of 2020 winners will be announced shortly.