Over the past several days, Wizz Air has been busy expanding its network. The rapidly growing airline launched inaugural flights connecting several countries this past week. The rapid expansion is a part of the airline's post-covid growth plans. The airline has been capitalizing on the high demand for air travel and hopes to rapidly build one of the largest networks in Europe. Most of the routes launched this past week connected European cities with the Middle Eastern country of Saudi Arabia.

Trading rain for snow

One of the routes Wizz Air launched this past week is a route connecting Wizz Air's young hub at London Gatwick Airport (LGW) with France's Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS). The inaugural flight was launched on January 10th. The route is meant to be seasonal and will be operated during the winter months. The airline anticipates this route will be popular among travelers looking to visit one of the many ski resorts in the nearby French Alps.

The route will be operated four times a week, with a flight every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Wizz Air UK's Managing Director, Marion Geoffroy, shared the following concerning the airlines' excitement for the new route,

"We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of yet another new route from Gatwick Airport. Not only is Lyon known for its UNESCO-listed Old Town, but it is only a short drive away from world renowned ski resorts in the French Alps. This latest launch highlights our commitment to bringing improved connectivity, affordable fares, and more choice to our customers in the UK. We look forward to welcoming customers onboard our young, efficient, and sustainable aircraft"

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Arabian expansion

On Monday, January 9th, Wizz Air celebrated two inaugural flights to Saudi Arabia's Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH). One route connects Hungary's Budapest Airport (BUD) with RUH. The other connects Romania's Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (BUH) with RUH. While the inaugural flights of these routes were celebrated earlier this week, the routes will not be regularly serviced until September 1st. Once regular services begin, the airline will offer two weekly flights on both routes. Both routes will be serviced by one flight every Monday and Friday.

The CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority, Fahd Hamidaddin, shared the following concerning the new routes,

"Saudi's partnership with Wizz Air continues to go from strength to strength. Already one of the largest partnerships in the world, the announcement of two new connections from Budapest Airport and Bucharest Airport to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ensures Saudi will remain an exciting destination for Europeans to visit and explore. The announcement also re-affirms our commitment to an accessible and affordable Saudi experience."

Additional Saudi Arabian routes

Wizz Air plans to expand its Saudi Arabian network dramatically throughout 2023. This expansion plan involves three additional routes connecting Europe with Saudi Arabia. On January 12th, Wizz Air celebrated the inaugural flights of three routes to Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED). The three routes to Jeddah that the airline will offer are a route connecting BUH with JED, another connecting BUD with JED, and lastly, a route connecting Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) with JED.

Each of these routes will be flown twice a week. The airline does not plan to commence regular operations of these routes until later this year. The BUH-JED route will be the first to enter regular service on September 1st. It will be flown once every Monday and Friday. The next to commence regular service will be the BUD-JED route, which will start on October 1st and be offered every Tuesday and Saturday. Lastly, the FCO-JED route will be operated every Wednesday and Saturday beginning November 1st.

What do you think of these new routes? Let us know in the comments below.

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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