Wizz Air Abu Dhabi completed the last step in the proceedings of starting the airline in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A joint venture of a state-owned Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company and Wizz Air Holdings (WIZZ) received its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the country.

The acceptance of the AOC was a final step in the regulatory processes which confirmed the airline’s compliance with all applicable requirements. The air carrier is now allowed to conduct operations. In order to obtain the UAE’s AOC, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi had to arm itself with patience as due to COVID-19 related conditions the process was completed over the course of eight months.

According to a statement released on October 17, 2020, Kees Van Schaick, the Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, outlined that the issuance of the AOC marks the most important milestone for the airline as it has now received all regulatory approvals to launch service.

“We have clearly demonstrated to the GCAA that we are fully capable of conducting a safe operation,” said Keen Van Schaick.

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 airline had initially scheduled the launch of the base on October 1, 2020. However, due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the carrier has delayed the launch by two weeks until October 16, 2020.

Having received the AOC of the UAE, the airline 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 airline, all the flights from the UAE would be operated by the Airbus A321neo.

Earlier in June 2020, Jozsef Varadi, the CEO of Wizz Air, announced his predictions that the fleet of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi in the new UAE base would reach 100 Airbus A321neo aircraft by the end of 2035.