Wizz Air to begin low-cost flights to Europe from Abu Dhabi this year

European low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced flights to five new destinations including Budapest, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Katowice and Sofia from Abu Dhabi this year.

The flights to Budapest and Bucharest, the capital cities of Hungary and Romania respectively, are expected to commence in June 2020.

The flights to Cluj-Napoca in Romania, Katowice in Poland and Sofia in Bulgaria are scheduled to begin in September 2020.

It added that these flights are subject to aviation activities being resumed in the respective countries.

.@wizzair the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe and Europe’s greenest airline, announced today five new routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport(AUH) and becomes the first European Low Cost carrier to launch flights to Abu Dhabi.#AbuDhabiAirport #ADAC pic.twitter.com/VPuBfOiq1T

— Abu Dhabi Airport (@AUH) May 3, 2020

“These new routes positively reflect the industry’s resilience and its capability to continue pushing forward with bold plans that will stimulate consumer demand and the sustained recovery of the aviation market. As our newest landing partner, we welcome Wizz Air and its first routes with open arms as we get set to facilitate the carrier’s exciting Abu Dhabi expansion plans,” said Shareef Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, according to media reports.

Added, József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air Holdings: “Today’s announcement underpins our long-term dedication to bringing low fares combined with a high quality onboard experience to ever more customers in Abu Dhabi. I am delighted that our operations at Abu Dhabi International Airport will begin in June, subject to lifting the travel bans, connecting the capital of the United Arab Emirates with five major cities of Central and Eastern Europe as Budapest, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Katowice and Sofia. Wizz Air’s mission feeds into Abu Dhabi’s diversified economic strategy as we continue to stimulate traffic by creating demand to the benefit of growing Abu Dhabi’s touristic and economic diversity.”

In December, Wizz Air announced plans to launch a new discount carrier in Abu Dhabi.

Known as Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the deal struck between Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADDH) and Wizz Air Holdings is for the new airline to be 51 per cent Abu Dhabi owned and to commence operations with a fleet of three new Airbus SE A321neos, increasing to 50 planes over 10 years.

Read: Wizz Air to launch new discount carrier in Abu Dhabi

On March 2, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi confirmed that it would take to the skies in the second half of 2020.

Read: Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to launch in H2 2020

The low-cost airline is expected to fly to destinations in Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa from Abu Dhabi.