Ambitious: Hungarian Wizz Air will fly to India soon?
Wizz Air visions an Open Skies treaty between the EU and India as it is ramping up its efforts to enter the Indian market.
Wizz Air was among the airlines present at a historic aviation summit between leaders of the European Union and India, which also supports the development of air connectivity between the regions via an Open Skies agreement, according to a statement sent to MTI on Wednesday.
Among the objectives of the event was the establishment of a comprehensive aviation agreement between the participants for the liberalisation of traffic rights and harmonised regulation, including the acceleration of emission reduction initiatives between the two regions.
Wizz Air participated in the meeting to facilitate the negotiations and to demonstrate the mutual benefits that can be achieved through open skies agreements. In the airline’s experience, agreements such as these offer passengers a wider choice and more affordable fares.
“The relationship between India and the European Union goes back a long way. We need to build on this foundation to promote greater connectivity, trade and investment,” said Jyotiraditya Scindia, the country’s aviation minister, who stressed the need for greater cooperation.
Wizz Air is ready to tap into the Indian market
The summit was attended by several airline CEOs, including József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air. József Váradi expressed his support for opening new routes and crossing the current horizontal framework. He highlighted the opportunities and efficiency gains that an opened sky would bring to the travelling public, noting that direct connections between regions have stagnated since 2009. This is why there is a need for low-cost airlines to enter the market and meet the demand.
“Wizz Air welcomes the opportunity for increased competition and greater access to new markets. The opening of the skies between Europe and India provides Wizz Air with the opportunity to expand its ultra-low-cost operations, offer better fares to its passengers and create new jobs in both regions,” said József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air.
As we have previously written, Wizz Air agreed to receive the necessary permits to fly to Pakistan. This is an important step for the low-budget carrier as it wants to enter the market in the Indian subcontinent.
For the time being, Wizz Air would like to connect India and Europe via its Wizz Air Abu Dhabi subsidiary, but that is just a temporary solution.
“In the longer term, we are interested in connecting India directly to the European network, and Wizz Air is the most suitable operator for this destination among European airlines” – Mr Váradi is quoted by vg.hu.
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