Airbus Updates No.2820

Airbus A321	-271NX	9429		A6-WZB	Wizz Air Abu Dhabi	delivery 02sep20 XFW-AUH	ex D-AVZJ
Airbus A321	-271NX	9496		TC-LSV	Turkish Airlines	delivery 03sep20 XFW-IST	ex D-AYAU
Airbus A321	-251NX	10025		EC-NIF	Iberia Express	delivery 04sep20 XFW-MAD	ex D-AVXG
Airbus A321	-253NX	10141		N424AN	American Airlines	delivery 04sep20 BFM-TUL	ex F-WZMU
Airbus A330	-202	511		A7-ACO	Qatar Airways	air-test DIA-DOH 24aug20 prior onward storage	ex EI-GGO
Airbus A330	-243	635		TC-OCY	Onur Air	delivery 03sep20 GRU-ISL, F-reg by Azur Aviation	ex F-WTAG
Airbus A330	-202	901		TC-JIM	Turkish Airlines	ferried 04sep20 ISL-FNI on return to lessor	ex VT-JWL
Airbus A340	-642	1030		9H-PGS	Maleth-Aero	ferried 03sep20 LETL-BOH	ex 2-FIXP
Airbus A350	-941	396		B-LQD	Cathay Pacific	delivery 01sep20 TLS-HKG	ex F-WZFD
Airbus A350	-941	410		OH-LWR	Finnair	delivery 01sep20 TLS-HEL	ex F-WZGV

Airbus Updates No.2818

Wizz Air’s Abu Dhabi Subsidiary Receives Its First Aircraft

Airbus has delivered an A321neo to Wizz Air’s Abu Dhabi subsidiary, the first of 50 aircraft to arrive over the next ten years. The carrier plans to begin operations out of its new United Arab Emirates base on October 1st with flights to Kutaisi, Georgia, and Odesa, Ukraine.

Airbus delivered the first A321neo to Wizz Air Abu Dhabi today. Photo: Airbus

October 1st is generally associated with the major furloughs and layoffs looming over the US commercial aviation industry. However, further East, it marks the beginning of a new chapter. Industrious Central European budget-carrier Wizz Air will commence operations with its United Arab Emirates subsidiary, based in Abu Dhabi. And now, it has the airplane to do so.

A6-WZA made the journey on Wednesday

The aircraft, an Airbus A321neo registered as A6-WZA, flew from the manufacturer’s Hamburg facilities at Hamburg Finkenwerder (XFW) to Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) early Wednesday. Its sibling, A6-WZA, is said to be joining it in October.

First flights to Georgia and Ukraine

As mentioned, Wizz Air is planning to commence operations out of Abu Dhabi on October 1st. The first flights will go to Kutaisi (KUT) in Georgia and Odesa (ODS) in Ukraine. However, the network will initially encompass four more destinations; Yerevan in Armenia, Larnaca in Cyprus, Alexandria in Egypt, and Athens, Greece.

The airline’s CEO has high hopes for the low-cost market out of the Middle East. Photo: Getty Images

Grand plans for UAE base

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was established in December 2019 and is a  joint venture between Wizz Air and Abu Dhabi Development Holding (ADDH), with the airline owning 70% and ADDH 30%.

While it may only be a matter of a couple of aircraft for the first month of operations, Wizz CEO Jozsef Varadi has grand plans for the new endeavor. At least another 50 jets from Wizz’s existing order book of 270 Airbus planes will go to the Middle East off-shoot in the next ten years. Varadi has suggested it could even hit 100 jets within 15.

However, it is unclear whether or not the carrier will operate exclusively A321neos, or if there will be A320neos in the fleet as well, as Wizz has orders for both models.

Wizz Air began operations at its new Abu Dhabi base on July 2nd. Photo: Wizz Air

Not the inaugural flight

While this may be the first aircraft to arrive for Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, it was not the first Wizz flight to the UAE capital. The Hungarian low-cost-carrier operated the first flight from its home-base in Budapest on July 2nd.

The aircraft remained on UAE soil for one hour and 19 minutes before taking back off, having inaugurated the airline’s new base, and the carrier has been operating flights between the UAE and Hungary since.

While the Middle East is not traditionally an LCC market, as the economic situation, including oil prices, will remain precarious post-crisis, it could be that even from Abu Dhabi, travelers will eschew legacy carriers for more budget-conscious choices.

Airbus Updates No.2815

Airbus A321	-251N	8008		N880AE	AerCap	regd 28aug20, parked at GYR	ex XA-JIL
Airbus A321	-251N	8575		N575CG	ACG Acquisitions	regd 27aug20, parked at GYR	ex XA-PGA
Airbus A321	-253NX	9311		B-30EE	China Southern Airlines	delivery 01sep20 XFW-NQZ	ex D-AYAW
Airbus A321	-271NX	9429		A6-WZB	Wizz Air Abu Dhabi	for delivery 02sep20 XFW-AUH (+ 9503 A6-WZA ex D-AVYL)	ex D-AVZJ
Airbus A321	-211	9538		N103DY	Delta Air Lines	delivery 28aug20 BFM-MSP (+ 10009 N104DN ex F-WZMX)	ex F-WZMQ
Airbus A321	-271NX	10050		HA-LVN	Wizz Air	delivery 28aug20 XFW-BUD	ex D-AZAD
Airbus A321	-271NXLR	9080		P4-KGC	Air Astana	delivery 27aug20 XFW-ALA	ex D-AYAX
Airbus A330	-343	776		B-LAD	Cathay Pacific	in svc / ferried 25-26aug20 HKG-SYD-ASP for onward storage (+ 423 B-HLS 26-27aug20)	ex F-WWKI
Airbus A330	-223	939		LZ-AWY	DAE Capital	ferried 28aug20 ISL-LETL	ex TC-LNB
Airbus A330	-343	1349		B-LAQ	Cathay Pacific	in svc / ferried 27-28aug20 HKG-SYD-ASP for onward storage	ex F-WWCO
Airbus A340	-642	606		EC-JBA	Iberia	ferried 26aug20 MAD-CQM, for part-out & scrap	ex F-WWCV
Airbus A340	-642	1079		EC-LEV	Iberia	ferried 29aug20 MAD-CQM	ex F-WWCE
Airbus A350	-941	396		B-LQD	Cathay Pacific	delivery 01sep20 TLS-HKG	ex F-WZFD
Airbus A350	-941	410		OH-LWR	Finnair	delivery 01sep20 TLS-HEL	ex F-WZGV