Ultra Low Cost carrier Wizz Air continues its expansion plans, with the airline adding capacity out of London Gatwick Airport.
Wizz Air Airbus A321 Birmingham Airport, Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The airline will launch a new base out of Gatwick, operating to 15 destinations from the airport, with a mixture of year-round and seasonal routes. Here’s a convenient list for those who are interested:
| Route | Operating Days | Starts | Fares from* |
| Catania, Italy | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 8 April 2022 | £17.99 |
| Chania, Crete (Summer only) |
Daily | 7 April 2022 | £26.99 |
| Bari, Italy | Tuesday, Saturday | 29 March 2022 | £17.99 |
| Faro, Portugal | Daily | 27 March 2022 | £17.99 |
| Funchal, Madeira | Monday, Friday | 28 March 2022 | £26.99 |
| Larnaca, Cyprus | Daily | 11 April 2022 | £17.99 |
| Milan, Italy | Daily | 27 March 2022 | £8.99 |
| Mykonos, Greece (Summer only) |
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday | 12 April 2022 | £26.99 |
| Naples, Italy | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday | 27 March 2022 | £8.99 |
| Palma, Mallorca | Daily | 27 March 2022 | £17.99 |
| Podgorica, Montenegro | Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday | 7 April 2022 | £17.99 |
| Rome, Italy | Daily | 27 March 2022 | £8.99 |
| Tel Aviv, Israel | Daily | 27 March 2022 | £35.99 |
| Vienna, Austria | Daily | 27 March 2022 | £8.99 |
It goes without saying, these are lead-in fares, including taxes, administration and other non-optional charges. One carry-on bag (max: 40x30x20cm) is included. Trolley bag and each piece of checked-in baggage is subject to additional fees.
It seems that Wizz Air is making use of the slots it purchased from Norwegian to find this expansion following Wizz Air UK’s successful bid for a portfolio of 15 daily slot pairs at Gatwick Airport. Wizz Air’s expansion will see the airline basing four additional A321neo aircraft, bringing the total to five, at Gatwick Airport.
These aircraft will serve existing routes from Gatwick Airport to Malaga, the gateway to the Costa del Sol, and the Greek capital city, Athens, as well as all the new routes.
With the launch of these new routes, Wizz Air will have 22 non-seasonal and seasonal routes on offer from Gatwick.
Combined with its base out of Luton Airport north of the M25, means Wizz Air will operate a total of 88 routes from London and the South East region.
In Quotes
Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, said:
“We are delighted to be launching a host of new routes from Gatwick, following the announcement of our acquisition of new slots at the airport. Whether it’s a relaxing beach holiday in the Algarve or a city break in Montenegro’s capital of Podgorica, there are many wonderful destinations to discover and return to. These new routes are further evidence of our commitment to providing low-fare connectivity to our UK customers. We are looking forward to welcoming customers old and new onboard our young, efficient and green aircraft in Summer 2022 to enjoy our excellent service as they head off on their well-deserved trips abroad.”
Stephanie Wear, Vice President of Aviation Development, Gatwick Airport, said:
“Wizz Air are one of Europe’s largest airlines and have seen the benefits of expanding at the airport for some time, so I’m delighted that five Gatwick-based aircraft will fly routes to popular destinations across Europe this summer. Many competitively-priced tickets are already on sale which, after everything we’ve all been through, gives more people the opportunity to take advantage of Gatwick’s fantastic connections to visit friends and relatives, or take a long-awaited holiday, when these new flights start flying from the end of March. Despite the current situation, we’re looking forward to a better summer and Wizz Air’s expanded operation is a wonderful addition to Gatwick and VINCI Airport’s portfolio.”
The Great Wizz Air play-around continues
It seems the great Wizz Air allocation and re-allocation continues, with the airline trying new routes, as well as dropping routes like hot potatoes. Howver, it seems that Wizz Air is making a serious play in the Gatwick Area, with 22 routes to be available out of the airport.
How many of those will be sustainable in the long term – is of course another question.
For the airline, it seems it’s time to make good use of the investment it has made at Gatwick Airport with the ex-Norweigan slots – and make those slots work.
It’ll be interesting to see how many of these routes exist in a years time…
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