The most obvious plan is to begin flights to India through its Gulf subsidiary, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, based on strong point-to-point demand between the UAE and India. Abu Dhabi would also become a connecting point to Europe for Wizz Air, Aviation Week quoted Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi as saying.

“Over the longer run, we would be interested in connecting India directly to the European network, especially when the A321XLR becomes available to us,” Varadi said.

According to the report, Wizz Air has 47 A321XLRs on order. Airbus says it is confident about the certification timeline for the long-range variant, targeting entry-into-service in the second quarter of 2024.

Even though this plan cannot be executed in the short term, Varadi believes that Wizz Air could be a pioneer in bringing India closer to the EU as the ULCC looks east. In his view, Wizz Air is the logical operator of such services among the European carriers.

“I expect our first Airbus A321XLR toward the end of next year. The aircraft can do Delhi-London nonstop, for example … not from the whole of India, [but] from some parts of it,” Varadi said.

The fleet of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the joint venture between Hungary’s Wizz Air and Abu Dhabi state-owned holding ADQ, will be doubled from eight aircraft to 16 within the next 12 months.

Wizz Air itself has made significant investments to make its operations more robust. The ULCC doubled the number of people working in daily operations from 150 to 300, in a bid to improve its operations planning, maintenance control center, logistic department, and other functions.

The Wizz Air fleet is growing from 180 aircraft to 200 this year. “We are taking roughly around 40 aircraft deliveries a year, an average of three aircraft every month,” he said.

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The first low-cost carrier of the UAE capital, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, will begin flights on July 14. The inaugural flights will fly to Egypt. The new airline is a partnership between Sharjah-based Air Arabia and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. Tickets can be bought now on Air Arabia website.

Egypt, a key travel market for UAE, reopened to international flights in June. Flights from Abu Dhabi to the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria will begin on July 15, and to Sohag the next day.

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will operate three times a week to Alexandria, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There will be one flight per week every Wednesday afternoon to Sohag, which will return to the capital at night.

The airline has introduced safety protocols to keep passengers safe when flying during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include compulsory face masks for everyone, full PPE for cabin crew and food and drinks served in sealed bags.

Abu Dhabi had recently begun a venture with the Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air.

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The first scheduled flight of Wizz Air, Eastern Europe’s low-cost airline, arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport from Budapest, Hungary on July 1, Wam reported.

The inaugural Wizz Air route will also include Bucharest twice a week. It will be followed in September by flights from Sofia, Katowice and Cluj-Napoca. With these services, Wizz Air will connect these exciting European cities with Abu Dhabi. The Hungarian low-cost airline’s operations start ahead of its collaboration with Abu Dhabi to form the country’s sixth national carrier, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

George Michalopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer of Wizz Air, said: “Our new sanitising protocols will give our customers the confidence that they can safely rely on Wizz Air’s ultra-low fares to visit Abu Dhabi on board one of the world’s greenest fleet. Wizz Air’s ultra-low fares and route network will contribute to the further growth of Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector.”

Khalil Lamrabet, Senior Vice President of Aviation Development at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “The arrival of Wizz Air is a testament to the strength of the Abu Dhabi market and a reflection of the success of our investments in transforming Abu Dhabi International Airport into a strategically positioned global hub for airlines from across the world.”

Wizz Air has intensified sanitisation and hygiene measures to ensure the health and safety of its passengers and crew in the light of COVID-19. As part of these new protocols, throughout the flight, both cabin crew and passengers are required to wear facemasks, while cabin crew is also required to wear gloves. Wizz Air’s aircraft are regularly put through a disinfection process with an antiviral solution.

Sanitising wipes are handed to each passenger upon entering the aircraft, onboard magazines have been removed from the aircraft, and onboard purchases are encouraged to be made by contactless payment. Passengers are requested to follow physical distancing measures advised by the local health authorities and are encouraged to make all purchases prior to the flight online (e.g. checked-in luggage, fast security track) to minimize any possible physical contact at the airport.

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