Wizz Air Expands Vienna Base

DALLAS - Ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Wizz Air (W6) is to station a fifth aircraft at its Vienna (VIE) base and launch three new routes.

The Indigo Partners-owned airline launched operations from the Austrian capital in April 2018 after the collapse of low-cost carrier Niki (HG). It currently flies 37 routes to 24 countries from its base.

An additional Airbus A321neo will arrive in December 2022, joining four others of the type at VIE. The airline will begin a weekly link to Madeira (FNC) on December 3. Jeddah (JED) will follow twice weekly on December 13 and Riyadh (RUH) on December 15.

On April 27, 2018, W6 launched five routes from VIE. Photo: Vienna Airport

Saudi Expansion

The latter two destinations formed part of the ULCC's plans to launch 20 new routes to Saudi Arabia from Europe, announced in August. VIE to Dammam (DMM) will commence on September 30.

W6 will also increase frequencies on several services from VIE, including London Gatwick (LGW), Tenerife (TFS), and Nis (INI).

Speaking of the new routes, Robert Carey, President of W6, said, "We are very pleased to announce the addition of a fifth aircraft to our Vienna base today. After a strong travel summer, we will continue to offer our passengers affordable travel to unique destinations this autumn with many new routes, such as Madeira, Riyadh, and Jeddah. We are continuously expanding our route network in the future and will continue to grow in Vienna."

The airline received its first A321neo in March 2019. Photo: Airbus

Julian Jäger, a member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG, added, "The expansion of the Wizz Air base in Vienna is a strong signal for the airport location and will offer passengers even more choice of destinations in the future. The strong summer season has shown that the development at Vienna Airport is very positive. Together with Wizz Air, we want to carry this momentum into the fall and winter."

Featured Image: W6 Airbus A321neo (HA-LVE). Photo: Daniel Gorun/Airways