Since commencing operations in mid-January, Wizz Air's middle eastern wing - Wizz Air Abu Dhabi - has been offering service to destinations around the Mediterranean and the Balkans. Now, the Abu Dhabi-based subsidiary is pushing further east, scheduling flights to the Kazakh cities of Almaty and Nur Sultan starting from May.

“The launch of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi recognises Abu Dhabi as a bold new frontier for ultra-low fare travel in the region. We most welcome the opportunity to contribute to Abu Dhabi’s efforts to provide a new segment of travel in the UAE in line with its socio-economic vision.” -József Váradi, Chairman, Wizz Air (January 2021)

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The new routes available

Announced in a post on Twitter, Wizz Air is offering service between Abu Dhabi and two of Kazakhstan's largest cities starting in May. Unaccompanied by a more formal statement, Simple Flying takes a look at the two new services and their frequencies.

Abu Dhabi-Almaty: Kazakhstan's largest metropolis, Almaty, was Kazakhstan's capital city until 1997 and is the country's cultural hub. Based on our search results, it looks like Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will fly here on Mondays and Fridays. The first service is currently scheduled for May 14th.

The outbound service from Abu Dhabi to Almaty will depart at 10:10 and arrive at 16:30 under flight number 5W7077. The total scheduled flight time is four hours and 20 minutes.

The return flight from Almaty to Abu Dhabi will depart at 17:05 and arrive at 19:55 under flight number 5W7078. The total scheduled flight time is four hours and 50 minutes.

Abu Dhabi-Nur Sultan:

Kazakhstan's "master-planned" capital, Nur Sultan, took over as the nation's political hub from Almaty in 1997. It is the second-largest city in the Central Asian country. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will fly here on Sundays and Thursdays. The first service is currently scheduled for May 13th.

The outbound red-eye service from Abu Dhabi to Nur Sultan will depart at 19:00 and arrive at 01:45 the next day under flight number 5W7087. The total scheduled flight time is four hours and 45 minutes.

The return flight from Nur Sultan to Abu Dhabi will depart at 02:35 and arrive at 05:35 under flight number 5W7088. The total scheduled flight time is five hours.

The rise of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was first announced in 2019 with a target launch date in the second half of 2020. The timeline slightly shifted, with the launch postponed from mid-October to mid-November and then to mid-January.

The airline's launch has been impacted by the global health crisis and travel restrictions to some of its planned destinations. Athens and Thessaloniki have been the main services operating thus far.

"Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the ‘green countries’ list.  Thanks to the support of the government and our local business partners in Abu Dhabi, we are fully prepared.  We have the aircraft, we have the crew, we have the partners, and we are ready to fly" -Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi,

Do you have any interest in these Abu Dhabi-Kazakhstan services? Let us know in the comments.