The ultra-low-cost air carrier Wizz Air has recently announced that it plans to expand its fleet considerably in the coming years. The airline has announced plans to expand its fleet to over 200 aircraft by the end of next year. It also announced that it plans to continue this trend of fleet expansion and hopes to have built a fleet of over 500 aircraft by 2030.

The rapid fleet expansion comes as a part of the airline's plans to take advantage of the growing demand for air travel. It plans to utilize this increasing demand to make itself the leader in budget air travel across Europe and the Middle East.

Operational expansion

The announcement that Wizz Air plans to expand significantly next year came in a public statement from the airline's President, Robert Carey. According to Reuters, Carey shared that the airline is increasing its fleet to keep up with operational expansions. He shared how the airline is looking to expand flight frequency on many of its existing routes and that it will be announcing new routes it will service.

The airline currently operates flights across Europe and the Middle East. Carey told the public that the airline would significantly expand operations in Central and Eastern Europe between 2022 and 2023. For years the airline has worked hard to expand its operations across Europe. That has paid off as it anticipates transporting 43 million passengers from its hub at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) this year. Despite this success, the airline wants to increase flight frequency to several other popular destinations from its BUD hub. These include Rome, Napoli, Berlin, Bari, Barcelona, and Dubai.

While the airline has announced plans to expand its European operations, its primary focus when it comes to expansion will be in the Middle East. Carey has stated that this region has the most room for growth. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a joint venture between the airline and the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund in the United Arab Emirates, primarily handles the airline's Middle East operations.

The airline plans to increase its operations across the Middle East from its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) throughout the next two years. The most prominent expansion will come this summer when the airline will double the number of routes connecting AUH to Saudi Arabia. The increase will bring the number of Arabian destinations serviced by the airline from 12 to 24.

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Growing fleet

The previously announced fleet number of 200 aircraft is a cumulative number between the aircraft in Wizz Air's European and Abu Dhabi fleets. According to ch-aviation, the Abu Dhabi fleet contains eight Airbus A321 aircraft, and it is awaiting one A321XLR. However, following this recent announcement, it is anticipated that the airline will order additional aircraft for its Abu Dhabi fleet.

Wizz Air's European fleet currently has 155 aircraft consisting of 55 Airbus A320s, 99 A321s, and 1 A330. It currently has 285 aircraft on order for its European operations. The latest announcement that the airline will expand its fleet further implies that the number of airplanes set to be delivered to the European fleet will also increase.

What do you think of Wizz Air's fleet expansion? Let us know in the comment section.

Source: Reuters, ch-aviation, RTE

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  Wizz Air

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  W6/WZZ

  Airline Type:

  Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier

  Year Founded:

  2003

  CEO:

  József Váradi

  Country:

  Hungary