Wizz Air’s Strong Türkiye Expansion
LONDON – The Hungary-based airline, Wizz Air, has announced increased capacity to Türkiye from European destinations and the United Arab Emirates.
Wizz Air’s Türkiye Expansion
In a press release issued on January 19, 2023, Wizz Air confirmed the 11 new routes, which includes the carrier returning to Istanbul for the first time in seven years, with start dates from late March 2023 through to mid-June 2023.
The new increases options between London and Budapest to the Turkish capital. On both routes, Wizz Air will be in competition for direct flights with Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines. Istanbul is planned to be an all-year-round service.
The routes to Dalaman and Antalya are planned to be summer seasonal services to the Turkish Riviera holiday resorts. The region, also known as the Turquoise Coast, is a popular holiday destination for travelers from the UK and Europe.
In 2019, around 2.5 million tourists from the UK and approximately 760,000 tourists from Romania visited Turkey, the majority of such to the Riviera region and during summer months. There is also significant tourism to Turkey by travelers from Middle Eastern countries.
Wizz Air is also reported to be increasing capacity between Salalah and Abu Dhabi, becoming a four-times-per-week operation.
Wizz Air, alongside the Hungarian parent airline, has two subsidiaries in Wizz Air UK and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. It is expected that their operations will be split between the three carriers.
The carrier currently operates a fleet of Airbus A320-200 and Airbus A321-200 aircraft.
These announced routes are planned using the company’s A321 Neo aircraft in an all-economy 230-seat configuration with a 28-inch seat pitch. Their Airbus NEO fleet is also set to expand with 75 additional frames on order by the carrier as announced in September 2022.
The new route schedule is as per the below table:
| ROUTE | DAYS | STARTS |
| BUDAPEST – ISTANBUL | Daily | 31 March 2023 |
| IASI – ISTANBUL | Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday | 4 April 2023 |
| LONDON GATWICK – ISTANBUL | Daily | 28 March 2023 |
| LONDON LUTON – ISTANBUL | Daily | 28 March 2023 |
| LONDON GATWICK – DALAMAN | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday | 23 May 2023 |
| LONDON GATWICK – ANTALYA | Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday | 26 March 2023 |
| BUCHAREST – ANTALYA | Monday, Wednesday, and Friday | 19 May 2023 |
| CLUJ – ANTALYA | Thursday, Sunday | 18 May 2023 |
| BUDAPEST – ANTALYA | Monday, Wednesday, and Friday | 24 May 2023 |
| DEBRECEN – ANTALYA | Tuesday, Saturday | 10 June 2023 |
| ABU DHABI – ANTALYA | Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday | 1 June 2023 |
Wizz Air’s Network Officer, Evelina Jeckel, stated, “We’re excited to be finally returning to Istanbul with our point-to-point services and strengthening our presence in Türkiye with the new connections to Dalaman and Antalya while bringing sustainable, low-cost aviation to Istanbul and to the pearls of the Turkish seaside.”
“We can’t wait to welcome our passengers back onboard our brand-new Airbus A321neo aircraft, as they travel on their long-awaited new routes connecting Türkiye with some of the most beautiful cities across Europe and beyond.”
“We are confident that our new routes will be loved by our customers and they will experience the outstanding Turkish hospitality and the beauty of both Istanbul and the seaside resorts.”
“Passengers can rely on our flexible booking policies and excellent onboard service, on the youngest aircraft fleet in Europe.”
