Wizz Air reveals TWENTY new routes to this Middle Eastern country

Europe’s fastest growing airline has announced enormous expansion plans in the Middle East.

 

From December, Wizz Air will launch 20 new services linking central and eastern Europe with cities across Saudi Arabia. Along with Wizz strongholds such as Bucharest and Budapest, other major European destinations including Vienna, Larnaca and Naples will benefit from the new non-stop links.

On the Saudi side, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam will all see scheduled Wizz Air services. While the Hungarian firm already has a presence in the region, this latest round of expansion will rapidly accelerate its Middle Eastern footprint. The airline estimates the new Saudi routes will bring over one million additional travellers to the Kingdom in 2023 alone.

Wizz Air operates an all Airbus fleet of A320 and A321 jets
Wizz Air operates an all Airbus fleet of A320 and A321 jets Wizz Air

Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air, said: “[This] announcement follows the Memorandum of Understanding we recently signed with the government enabling us to contribute to Saudi tourism’s growth and its entire ecosystem. I see the Kingdom as a long-term strategic market for Wizz Air where we will continue to innovate and carry the flag of low cost flying for the benefit of Saudi residents and visitors as well as the country’s diversifying economy.”

Headline fares for the new routes start at €54.99 one-way, a figure which is likely to spook more established legacy players. The services also represent a boost to Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ programme, which aims to triple the country’s passenger traffic by the end of the decade.

The low-cost giant is part of the Indigo Partners family of airlines, which also includes Frontier and JetSMART 
The low-cost giant is part of the Indigo Partners family of airlines, which also includes Frontier and JetSMART  Wizz Air

The bulk of the new routes begin in early 2023, however Vienna to Jeddah and Riyadh are due to launch on December 13 and 19 respectively. The inter-continental services are typically rostered twice-weekly, with a handful weekly and thrice-weekly links. Wizz Air operates an all Airbus fleet of A320 and A321 aircraft

 

The full list of routes, frequencies and launch dates can be found below:

  

Budapest - Riyadh            Monday & Friday             09/01/2023

Budapest - Jeddah           Tuesday & Saturday        10/01/2023

Budapest - Dammam      Thursday & Sunday          20/04/2023

Bucharest - Riyadh           Monday & Thursday        09/01/2023

Bucharest - Jeddah          Tuesday & Saturday        10/01/2023

Catania - Riyadh               Tuesday & Saturday        18/04/2023

Larnaca - Riyadh               Monday                              17/04/2023

Larnaca - Jeddah              Saturday                             08/07/2023

Larnaca - Dammam         Tuesday                            04/07/2023

Milan - Jeddah                  Tuesday & Saturday        03/12/2022

Milan – Riyadh                  Thursday & Sunday          20/04/2023

Naples - Riyadh                 Tuesday                           18/04/2023

Rome - Riyadh                   Tuesday & Saturday        06/12/2022

Rome - Jeddah                  Wednesday & Saturday  11/01/2023

Sofia - Riyadh                    Thursday & Sunday          20/04/2023

Tirana – Dammam           Monday & Friday             17/04/2023

Venice - Riyadh                 Thursday & Sunday          20/04/2023

Venice - Jeddah                Tuesday & Saturday        18/04/2023

Vienna - Riyadh                Tues, Thu & Sat                19/12/2022

Vienna - Jeddah                Tuesday & Saturday        13/12/2022