Growth and expansion into new markets can be risky, especially during the uncertain times we are currently facing. However, with a solid track record of expansion in Europe, the setting up of a subsidiary carrier in the Middle East must have been well-calculated for budget airline Wizz Air. Yesterday the airline celebrated the first birthday of its Abu Dhabi subsidiary. Let's look at all that was accomplished in this period.
37 destinations to be served using just four aircraft
In December 2021 we took a look back at how Wizz Air Abu Dhabi handled 2021. A few weeks short of a full year, the carrier had at that point served 34 destinations. Amazingly, it hasn't even been a full month and the airline has already announced further expansion with the addition of three new destinations.
The addition of service to Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan), Yerevan (Armenia), and Krasnodar (Russia) from February 2022 will push Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's route network up to 37 destinations. Service to Nur-Sultan was to begin in May 2021 but this appears to have been pushed far back.
Choosing more destinations over higher frequency service, the airline is managing to operate its long list of routes using just a handful of aircraft- four Airbus A321neos to be precise. The carrier makes this work by flying to each destination two to three times per week. This is something that is less than ideal for business travelers but acceptable for leisure customers and those visiting friends and relatives.
“We are ambitious and want to continue expanding our network to encourage tourism with affordable packages for all, and delighted to be announcing an additional three new routes. After a challenging and uncertain period, we look forward to connecting people to create great memories. We are also proud to have been the latest UAE national airline to launch, creating an exciting new travel segment for the UAE and wider region.” -Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
From January 2021 to January 2022
So much has been achieved since Wizz Air Abu Dhabi began operations on January 15th, 2021. However, looking back to the airline's launch, we can see that it operated its inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to Athens a year ago. The following month, the carrier would then launch service from Abu Dhabi to Thessaloniki- another Greek city.
Over the course of 2021, it added many destinations including Alexandria (Egypt), Athens (Greece), Baku (Azerbaijan), Bahrain, Belgrade (Serbia), Kutaisi (Georgia), Kyiv (Ukraine), Odesa (Ukraine), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Sohag (Egypt), Tel-Aviv (Israel), Tirana (Albania) and Yerevan (Armenia), among many others.
The airline's more recent route launches include service to Muscat in Oman (October 31st) and service to Moscow Vnukovo (December 15th).
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What to expect in 2022
While it's difficult to predict what will take place in 2022, it's likely that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will continue on its aggressive path of expansion across the region- something we see quite regularly with its European counterpart. India is on the airline's wish list, although this may depend on travel restrictions. Again, it's all about forging new routes and establishing new connections, even if frequencies are low.
"To encourage travel in 2022", Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is reminding its customers that the purchase of Wizz Flex will allow customers to cancel their flight up to three hours before departure for free and have 100% of the fare immediately reimbursed in airline credit. While this is an add-on, the optional feature appears to be quite affordable with the airline's website noting that the cost ranges between €5.00–€36.00 ($6.00–$42.00) per passenger per flight. Although it would be preferable if this flexibility was "built-in" to every ticket, it does seem to be a worthwhile expense- especially given the uncertainty of the global health crisis.
Have you flown with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi yet? And where do you think the carrier will fly to next? Let us know by leaving a comment.