It seems that a pandemic is no excuse to start up an operation in Abu Dhabi, with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi taking to the air from the 15th January 2021.
First Wizz Air Airbus A321neo – Image, Airbus
The airline will operate out of Abu Dhabi International Airport, with the first destination being Athens. The airline will also start a route to Thessaloniki on 4th February 2021.
Athens flights will operate Mondays and Fridays, whilst Thessaloniki flights will operate Thursdays and Sundays.
Lead-in fares start at AED 129 to Athens, AED 149 to Thessaloniki (one-way, with one small carry-on bag. You’ll need to pay for a larger trolley bag, as well as all the usuals).
Whilst the airline is just starting with two routes, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (a joint venture established between ADQ and Wizz Air Holdings plc), is planning to add the following destinations to their network, including
- Alexandria
- Kutaisi
- Larnaca
- Odesa
- Yerevan
Flights to these cities will launch as each destination joins Abu Dhabi’s ‘”green list countries” (the list can be found here).
The airline plans to adds to its Abu Dhabi-based fleet over the coming months.
The airline will utilise Airbus A321neo aircraft for its fleet in an all-economy layout, in a classic 3-3 formation.
In Quotes
Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said:
“The waiting is almost over for Abu Dhabi fans of our ultra-low fare airline. From 15 January 2021, a new model of air travel comes to Abu Dhabi, offering new choices and new competition, demonstrating that things are looking up for next year.
Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the ‘green countries’ list. Thanks to the support of the government and our local business partners in Abu Dhabi, we are fully prepared. We have the aircraft, we have the crew, we have the partners, and we are ready to fly.
We look forward to building a new travel segment in this important market.”
Growing WizzAir out
If WizzAir had a story for 2020, it was taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation, and growing out its network fast, where it saw it could swoop in and pick up customers. That can be seen with their growth spurts in the UK and Central Europe.
The Middle East will bring a new challenge to the airline – especially in these odd times. It’ll be interesting how the partnership with ADQ works out in the long term and what other routes apart from the launch ones turn up – least of all, four flights a week for a new airline like Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a drop in the ocean.
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