Despite the second wave of COVID-19 infections sweeping across Europe, resulting in once again crumbling demand, Wizz Air is still expanding. This time, the low-cost carrier announced a new base in Cardiff, Wales, the United Kingdom.
The Hungary-based airline will base one Airbus A321 aircraft at Cardiff Airport (CWL) and open nine new routes. Primarily, the carrier is targeting leisure travelers, as all new routes are to destinations across the Mediterranean Sea, including various Spanish, Greek and other holiday destinations. Flights are set to start in Spring 2021.
Wizz Air’s newest expansion marks its 14th base since the pandemic broke out in Europe in March 2020. Going against the grain, as the majority of airlines have significantly reduced operations throughout the year, the low-cost carrier is setting itself up for the future.
“We kept our eyes on the future and kept investing for the future aided by a clear view of how we want to come out of the pandemic,” remarked the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) József Váradi during Routes Reconnected on December 2, 2020.
The latest traffic numbers posted by the airline on December 2, 2020, indicated that it carried 456,487 passengers with an average load factor of 68.2% in November 2020. Year-on-year results show that Wizz Air carried 19.3 million passengers, 50.6% fewer than compared to the same period last year.
