Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will launch its first flights to Athens on January 15, a little more than one year after Budapest-based Wizz Air and the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ) announced they would jointly establish a discount carrier in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the partners said Wednesday. The Airbus A320-family operator added it would also start flights between Abu Dhabi and Thessaloniki, Greece, on February 4.
Greece appears on Abu Dhabi’s list of so-called “green” countries to which it allows travel due to their relatively favorable epidemiological situations, specifically related to Covid-19.
Wizz Air initially announced a route network including Alexandria, Egypt; Kutaisi, Georgia; Larnaca, Cyprus; Odesa, Ukraine; and Yerevan, Armenia. The airline now says it will launch flights to those destinations as each joins the green countries list, followed by further cities as the airline adds to its three-strong A321neo fleet over the coming months.
“Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the green countries list,” said Wizz Air Abu Dhabi managing director Kees Van Schaick. “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. We look forward to building a new travel segment in this important market.”
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi tentatively had planned to launch service on October 1, some three weeks after it staged a celebration of the arrival of its first A321neo, but Covid-related travel restrictions at its desired destinations forced a delay.
Last December’s announcement of the joint venture between Wizz Air and ADQ came just two months after Emirati low-cost carrier Air Arabia said it would launch Abu Dhabi’s first LCC under a partnership with Etihad Airways. That carrier, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, launched operations on July 14, connecting Abu Dhabi International with Egypt’s Alexandria Borg El Arab International Airport and Sohag.
The arrival of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will likely challenge the leadership position of Dubai International Airport in the country. In contrast to Dubai International, which operates at near full capacity, Abu Dhabi’s airport holds spare space as authorities based its development plans on the continued growth of Etihad. That airline, however, in 2017 entered a downsizing process after accumulating heavy losses due to an unsuccessful strategy of inorganic growth through minority stake investments in global airlines, several of which went bankrupt.