Amid widespread criticism on social media, Wizz Air has backtracked on its plans to resume services to Moscow in October. The flights have now been suspended until further notice.

The ultra-low-cost carrier began flying to Moscow in December 2021, but stopped shortly after, in February 2022, when the ongoing conflict in Ukraine began. However, earlier this month, Wizz Air announced the resumption of flights from October 3rd, citing high demand from customers as the reason behind the controversial move.

The flights were planned to be operated from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) to Moscow Vnukovo International Airport (VKO) by Airbus A321neos belonging to Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of Wizz Air. The carrier is 51% owned by the Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ. Hungarian-based Wizz Air owns the other 49%.

wizz-air-a321neo
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi operates a fleet of four Airbus A321neos. Photo: Wizz Air

At the time of the relaunch announcement, a spokesperson for Wizz Air said,

“Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a national UAE carrier that operates in line with the UAE’s national regulations and policies. The airline is resuming its operation to Moscow to meet travel demand for passengers wishing to fly to and from Russia from the UAE capital.”

Social media backlash

The planned resumption had sparked backlash on social media, with some calling for a boycott of the airline.

Wizz Air initially responded to the criticism by saying that the flights would be operated by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, registered in the United Arab Emirates, but the airline has now taken the decision to suspend the service resumption until further notice. No reference to the controversy was made by Wizz Air when it announced the suspension on Friday.

Simple Flying has reached out to Wizz Air for further comment.

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Which airlines are flying from the United Arab Emirates to Russia?

With the exception of Air Serbia’s daily flight from Belgrade to Moscow, no European carriers are currently flying to Russia. As part of the Western sanctions imposed due to the conflict, Russian airlines are banned from flying in European Union airspace.

The sanctions have hit Russia’s aviation industry hard, and with spare parts becoming increasingly difficult to come by, reports emerged recently that the national carrier Aeroflot had started to dismantle one of its new Airbus A350s for spares.

The United Arab Emirates, however, has maintained a neutral position when it comes to the conflict, and has not imposed any sanctions on Russia. As such, three other UAE-based carriers continue to operate flights to the country.

Etihad Boeing 787-10
Etihad Airways also flies to Moscow from Abu Dhabi, using its Boeing 787-10 aircraft. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Flickr

Emirates and flydubai currently operate services with the Airbus A380 and Boeing 737 respectively from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME), while Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) to Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) with the Boeing 787-10.

Turkish Airlines, El Al, and Air China are among other international carriers that have maintained services to Russia.

What do you think of Wizz Air suspending its plans to return to Russia? Share your thoughts by commenting below.