Wizz Air announcement surge from New York: new routes, base expansions, increased flight frequencies

In an online press conference, József Váradi, the airline’s CEO, revealed the most significant changes. Describing the low-cost carrier as Hungary’s airline, he mentioned that if the national football team had qualified for the World Cup, fan flights would have been introduced. While transatlantic and Indian destinations are only conceivable in the long term, the company will concentrate on profitable markets, announcing many new routes and other changes.

More punctual flights, increased seats, and several new bases

Based on the airportal.hu summary, these are Váradi’s key announcements during the online briefing:

• The Budapest base fleet will expand to 18 aircraft with one more plane. Currently, 40% of the company’s 9,500 employees—around 4,000 workers—are based in Budapest.
• This year, Wizz Air expects to transport 72 million passengers, marking a 75-80% growth compared to pre-pandemic levels.
• Flight punctuality improved by 21%, with long delays over three hours falling to just 0.6%.
• While no new routes were announced from Debrecen, Váradi assured ongoing market monitoring.
• Capacity on Hungarian routes will rise to 9.1 million seats in 2026, approximately a 10% increase.
• From Hungary, the airline serves 75 routes across 35 countries, with 59 available year-round and 16 seasonal (summer and winter). The target is to increase Hungarian capacity to 100 routes.
• New bases will open in Kishinev, Tuzla, Yerevan, and secondary airports in Warsaw and Bucharest (Modlin and Băneasa). Bases will also launch in Bratislava and Podgorica through shifting capacity from Vienna, reinforcing Wizz Air’s commitment to Central and Eastern Europe, serving the many guest workers abroad.
• The previously planned 15% growth will be moderated to a new target of 10-12%.
• Váradi encourages investors to buy Wizz Air shares now.

Additional routes and increased frequencies announced

From Budapest, the airline will resume or launch new routes to Tallinn (three flights weekly), Billund (four weekly flights), Skopje (two weekly flights), Bergen (three weekly flights), Lamezia Terme (three weekly flights), and Rimini (also three weekly flights) starting next year. Details of these routes have been summarised in the accompanying table based on wizzair.com.

Flight frequency increases also apply to several other routes, as shown in the next table.

Significant engine issues weigh on the airline

This year, Wizz Air operated 910 routes to 40 countries and 200 destinations using 36 bases in 18 countries. Their fleet comprises 249 Airbus aircraft; however, 35 remain grounded due to engine problems, which likely won’t be resolved until the end of 2027.

Until these engine issues are fixed, no further narrow-body long-haul A321XLR aircraft are expected. Newly acquired planes will be allocated to the UK market, primarily serving British tourism to the Middle East. Our article on the Wizz Air base opening in Israel and the related local opposition can be found here:

• Fierce resistance erupts against Wizz Air’s new base, which could unlock exciting exotic destinations

Amid these optimistic announcements, it’s important to note that Wizz Air never publicly discloses route closures or reductions in frequency; these changes quietly disappear from booking systems. The management consistently emphasises profitability as its top priority, meaning any routes that fail to meet expectations are destined to be cut.

Read more Wizz Air-related articles:

• Wizz Air hit with massive fine in a European country over its “All You Can Fly” subscription
• Damaged Wizz Air plane still in Prague since September