Wizz Air delays launch of Abu Dhabi subsidiary new UAE base

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a joint venture between the Hungarian budget airline and Abu Dhabi state holding company ADQ, has repeatedly delayed the launch of its newest base in the United Arab Emirates. The carrier postponed the launch date until November 15, 2020.

After receiving its first Airbus A321neo on September 7, 2020, the Wizz Air subsidiary hurried to schedule the beginning of flight operations out of the new base in the UAE. The initial proposed start date was on October 1, 2020. At the time the carrier planned to start operating flights to Kutaisi (KUT) and Odessa (ODS).

However, due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the carrier has delayed the launch by two weeks until October 16, 2020.

With the latest launch update, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has scheduled flight routes to six directions including Athens (ATH), Kutaisi (KUT), Larnaca (LCA), Odessa (ODS), Yerevan (EVN) and Alexandria Borg El Arab (HBE). According to the carrier, all the flights from UAE will be operated by Airbus A321neo. However, the airline has not made public the reason for the latest launch delay.

Earlier in June 2020, Jozsef Varadi, the CEO of Wizz Air, announced his predictions that the fleet of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi in the base would reach 100 aircraft by the end of 2035.