Will Wizz Air launch American flights? Here is what CEO Váradi said about plans
Wizz Air plans to launch long-haul flights with their new Airbus A321 XLR planes, but CEO József Váradi said they would not like to enter the American market. Instead, they would like to expand in the Middle East and Asia and will launch their first long-distance flight between London and Jeddah.
239 non-adjustable seats, 3 toilets, no free food
“Wizz Air Holdings Plc. has a message for anyone considering the budget airline’s seven-hour flight to Saudi Arabia next year: If you want frills, bring your own”, Bloomberg wrote about Wizz Air’s new, long-range flights. That refers to the budget airline’s policies concerning how comfortable passengers can travel with them.
CEO Váradi told the news outlet in Abu Dhabi that every perk, from water to snacks and carry-on luggage, will cost extra money for their passengers. Váradi said they would like to serve pilgrims in the first place with their new London-Jeddah flight. However, passengers will not get anything for free during the 7-hour-long flight. Therefore, passengers will have to entertain themselves.
There will be no free meals on board the pencil-thin planes, the planes will not have adjustable seats and they will not be able to watch movies on displays built in the headrest.
The maximum number of passengers will be 239 and they will have to use three toilets accessible through a narrow corridor. In return, the tickets will be cheap: GBP 135 one way. Between Milan and Abu Dhabi, the price will only be EUR 100. Mr Váradi believes that is how they can democratise flying.
Wizz Air continuously tries to renew its service. In August, they introduced the “All You Can Fly” pass as a world-first, which Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, called a stupidity. The idea gave a long-needed boost to the airline’s shares weakened by the problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines forcing dozens of Wizz Air planes to the ground for months.
Will Wizz Air launch Transatlantic flights?
The airline ordered 47 XLR planes and plans to create a new hub near London. The flight time of that plane is 8 hours, so even a Transatlantic route could be launched from Western Europe. However, Váradi does not want to. “We are not prepared for that”, he added. The CEO cleared that nobody expects them to launch flights to New York or Boston. Instead, they would like to expand in India and Pakistan to carry guest workers to the Middle East.
Wizz Air plans to increase its fleet to 500 carriers by 2030, but the disruptions in the supply chains may prolong that by 1-2 years.
Read also: