Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) is planning to focus on eastbound expansion with its A321-200neo(XLR)s and is eyeing direct services from London to Dubai and from Central Europe to India, CEO József Váradi told Bloomberg.
"We’ll connect the dots of our existing network but we’ll be looking at new opportunities, too. The XLR will be delivered in four years so we have plenty of time to work it out," he said.
According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Wizz Air currently flies to Dubai World Central from its Central European bases at Bucharest Otopeni and Budapest year-round, and from Katowice, Sofia, and Cluj-Napoca in winter only. In Asia, the carrier also serves Tel Aviv Ben Gurion, Eilat Ramon, and Nur-Sultan.
Wizz Air and its subsidiary Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton) maintain bases at London Luton but cannot currently operate to Dubai due to range limitations of the current-generation Airbus narrowbodies.
Váradi underlined that the LCC had no plans to enter the transatlantic market, even with the new aircraft.
Wizz Air is set to receive twenty A321neo(XLR)s as a part of an order for fifty units (including eighteen conversions of A320-200neo orders) placed by its largest shareholder Indigo Partners during the 2019 Paris Air Show. Váradi clarified that once formalised, contracts will be signed directly between the airline and the manufacturer.
Currently, the Hungarian LCC operates sixty-eight A320-200s, thirty-three A321-200s, and three A321neo. It has a further seventy-two A320neo (possibly including some units due to be converted into A321neo(XLR)s), three A321-200s, and 181 A321neo on firm order from Airbus.