Wizz Air stages major expansion at Budapest Airport as new routes proliferate

The summer schedule is poised to commence at Budapest Airport, with Wizz Air primed to swell its flights from the Hungarian capital in a bold escalation.

Fresh routes and an enlarged Budapest hub

The Hungary-centric low-cost carrier is gearing up with more flights than ever for the peak season. According to Wizz Air, its capacity has surged by 30% year-on-year, bolstered by two additional aircraft dispatched to Budapest to meet burgeoning passenger demand. This will bring its Budapest base to 19 planes, offering nearly three million seats to travellers.

Far from merely ramping up existing routes, Wizz Air is revealing new destinations. A Portfolio summary lists the following:

1. Ankara: The Turkish capital enters Wizz Air’s roster with regular Budapest flights for the first time. The inaugural service lifts off on 29 April, followed by three weekly trips.
2. Krakow: First flights depart on 29 April, then operate four times weekly to the John Paul II airport. Poland’s second city is unmissable, home to Wawel Castle, the royal stronghold, and a wealth of historical, cultural, and artistic treasures.
3. Sofia: Services to Bulgaria’s capital begin on 3 July, four weekly in summer, rising to seven in winter.
4. Bergen: The Norwegian city on the North Sea coast welcomed its first flight yesterday, with three weekly thereafter.
5. Billund: Direct links to this Danish hub, home to Lego’s headquarters, resume this Thursday after a few years’ hiatus, with multiple weekly frequencies.
6. Tallinn: Travellers can now fly to Estonia’s atmospheric capital from Budapest, three times a week.

June brings a flurry of further Wizz Air launches

The Hungarian budget airline has announced more summer additions. Varna in Bulgaria gets four weekly flights from 8 June; Lamezia Terme, at the toe of Italy’s boot, follows from 30 April with three weekly. Mediterranean beach runs proliferate in June: Zadar from the 9th, Dubrovnik from the 8th, with Spain’s Menorca and Italy’s Rimini added later. Greece gains two newcomers—Kalamata from 8 June, Kefalonia from the 9th—bringing the total to nine Hellenic destinations: Athens, Heraklion, Corfu, Rhodes, Santorini, Thessaloniki, and Zakynthos.

Wizz Air had earlier resolved to prune Middle Eastern capacity amid Pratt & Whitney engine woes, sweltering heat, and regional instability, pivoting back to Europe. It has shelved ambitions for India, south-east Asia, and central Asia, zeroing in on eastern Europe where it holds a sharper edge. The strategy leans heavily on holiday tourism and shuttling guest workers from eastern and central Europe to western destinations.

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