Wizz Air closes multiple bases and flights

The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air closes its base in Cardiff, Wales. The low-cost airline is closing its base in Wales and all its flights there, citing high costs and the economic environment. Wizz Air is also closing its base in Bacău, Romania, and Bari, Italy. However, we have some good news for those wanting to travel to Seoul, South Korea.

Withdrawing from Wales

The UK subsidiary of Wizz Air, Wizz Air UK, drastically cut back its flights from the Welsh capital at the end of last summer. Now, it has announced that it will withdraw permanently from Cardiff airport on 25 January, and will cease its two remaining routes to Milan and Bucharest. Since Wizz Air withdrew from Doncaster Sheffield last year, it will now have a presence at only eight UK airports, airportal.hu reports.

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The future of the staff and the passengers

Wizz Air UK Managing Director Marion Geoffroy said the airline remains committed to long-term growth. She cited the challenging macro-economic environment and high operating costs, including increased fuel costs, as reasons for the base closure. According to the statement, Cardiff staff will be offered the possibility to transfer to other Wizz Air bases and affected passengers will be rebooked or reimbursed.

Also closing bases in Bacău and Bari

The low-cost airline also closed its base in Bacău, Romania, on 10 January. Its capacity was transferred to other, busier routes. The airline also announced on 10 January that it will close its base in Bari, Italy, on 16 February. It will transfer flights to Rome and Milan and retain flights to the airport from its other bases.

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More flights between Budapest and Seoul

We also have good news for the travelling public. Park Chul-min, the outgoing ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Budapest, gave an interview to Magyar Nemzet. Among other things, he said that since December, Korean Airlines has been operating three direct flights a week between the two capitals, Budapest and Seoul. Including the Polish airline LOT, this means five direct flights a week.

What is more, a Korean Airlines official told Park Chul-min that if everything goes according to plan, from December this year, they expect to start daily direct flights between Budapest and Seoul. The official also said that the occupancy rate for flights resumed after the pandemic is currently around 60-70 percent. Meanwhile, the Budapest-Seoul flight, which started in October, is already 90 percent full.

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Source: airportal.hu, magyarnemzet.hu