Since the launch of that flight Wizz Air says it has constantly expanded its Debrecen network, and now offers six low-fare routes to London Luton, Paris Beauvais, Milan Bergamo, Eindhoven, Malmo, and its newest destination: Tel Aviv.
In 2015, Wizz Air established base operations in the city creating a number of local jobs with the airline and its business partners, while bringing affordable travel to even more Hungarian customers, the press statement says. Last year, Wizz Air carried 278,000 passengers on its Debrecen flights. The airline says its commitment to the city is further underlined by the title sponsorship of the Debrecen Airport Run, a race on the airport’s runway similar to that held at Budapestʼs international airport. The first event took place on April 22 and showcased Wizz Air’s mission to promote mobility and an active lifestyle.
“We are delighted to celebrate the fifth anniversary of our first Debrecen flight,” said Gábor Vásárhelyi, corporate communications manager at Wizz Air. “Today, one-and-a-half years after we based an aircraft at Debrecen Airport, we are proud to say that Wizz Air’s Debrecen operations have been making Hajdu–Bihar County and the region more accessible, fostered economic development and boosted tourism and hospitality industries in the region,” he added.
“We are very proud to celebrate Wizz Air’s fifth anniversary at Debrecen Airport,” said István Herdon, the CEO of XANGA Group, the majority owner-operator of the airport. “This is an important milestone in the airport’s history and we are willing to celebrate more milestones and more new routes from Debrecen in the coming years,” he added.
Wizz Air currently operates flights from Budapest and Debrecen with a total of 12 aircraft in the country. In 2016, 3.7 million passengers flew with on the airline to and from Hungary, which is more than any airline has ever carried on its Hungarian routes, and represents 23% growth year-on-year. Based on the 2016 figures, the airline’s operations support over 2,800 indirect local jobs. Wizz Air now offers 69 routes from Hungary, connecting Budapest and Debrecen with 29 countries.
