It seems that the Vienna base meant nothing to Wizz Air, as the airline prepares to shutter its base there, blaming rising costs.
The base will be gradually closed, with the process taking place in two phases: two aircraft and two routes – to Bilbao and London Gatwick – will be withdrawn on 26 October 2025. Three remaining aircraft and the rest of the routes will cease operation on 15 March 2026.
Wizz Air launched its Vienna base in 2018, operating a current fleet of five Airbus A321neo aircraft and serving 28 routes to 20 countries.
However, since the inception of Wizz Air’s Vienna base, airport costs and taxes have increased significantly. With Wizz Air’s strategic focus on building its core markets in Central and Eastern Europe and delivering low fares made possible by cost discipline, operating from Vienna has become incompatible with the airline’s ultra-low-cost business model.
Despite the closure of the Vienna base, Wizz Air remains committed to serving its valued Austrian passengers and the broader Central European region, with an extensive network of low-fare routes operated from the airline’s bases in Bratislava and Budapest.
Impact for passengers and staff
Passengers with bookings on affected flights beyond the route suspension dates will be contacted directly by Wizz Air and offered the following options (passengers who have booked with a third-party provider should contact that provider directly):
- A full refund in WIZZ credits, or
- Rebooking on an alternative Wizz Air.
For its employees, the airline is committed to supporting all affected employees throughout this transition, including offering relocation opportunities to other Wizz Air bases and, where possible, alternative roles within the organisation.
In Quotes
Mauro Peneda, Managing Director, Wizz Air Malta, said:
“We recently celebrated seven years of operations in Vienna, during which Wizz Air has remained committed to offering Austrian travellers affordable and convenient travel options. Unfortunately, the airport cost base in Vienna, as well as taxes and ground handling services have risen significantly since our launch, making continued operations unsustainable. This was a difficult, but necessary decision to safeguard the long-term competitiveness of our business. We will support our colleagues in Vienna with job opportunities across our ever-growing network. We are grateful for their dedication and thank our passengers for their understanding. Guided by our Customer First Compass initiative, we will continue working to ensure that all our decisions place customers and employees at the heart of Wizz Air’s future growing network.”
Advance and Retreat
Wizz Air is making a habit of its “Advance and Retreat” strategy – going in when costs are low, but bailing when the costs of operating are too high.
With the airline choosing to focus on Central Europe, as well as the centres that make cash, high-cost bases are going to be the first to be hit when it comes to network changes.
For passengers, this provides a quandary of “Is the airline going to pull out before I fly?”.
That’s always been a concern. With Wizz Air and its constant chopping and changing, it’s getting harder to predict each day.
For Wizz Air, this place meant nothing to them. It meant nothing to them. Ohhhhh…. Vienna.
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