As of the summer of 2018, Wizz Air announced today it will be adding a total of 32 weekly flights to its Budapest schedule, growing its seat capacity from the Hungarian capital to over 5.3 million, which will constitute an increase of 20% year-on-year, the press release notes.
The first new Airbus A321 is scheduled to join Wizz Airʼs Budapest fleet in March, while the second aircraft is expected to arrive in May. Together, the two aircraft represent an investment of USD 232 million by Wizz Air in Hungary, and will create 84 additional direct local jobs at the airline, increasing the Hungarian fleet to 14 aircraft, with 13 based in Budapest and one at Debrecen Airport.
Thanks to the two new aircraft, Wizz Air will add a new Budapest to Stavanger route next March, the second Norwegian destination from Budapest after Bergen. In May, Wizz Air will launch another new route to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (EuroAirport), located in the heart of Western Europe at the crossroads of France, Germany and Switzerland.
Wizz Air will also be increasing frequencies on 13 Budapest routes, answering strong demand, the company says. Frequencies on Budapest services to Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Moscow, Barcelona, Madrid, Bucharest, St. Petersburg, Keflavík (Iceland), Kutaisi (Georgia) and Porto, as well as three out of five West Balkan services to Tirana, Podgorica and Skopje, will increase by up to four additional flights a week.
Wizz Air currently operates flights from two Hungarian bases in Budapest and Debrecen with a total of 12 aircraft in the country. In 2016, 3.7 million passengers flew with Wizz Air to and from Hungary, which the airline claims is more than any airline has ever carried on its Hungarian routes, and represents 23% growth year-on-year. Based on 2016 figures, the airline’s operations support over 2,800 indirect local jobs.
The airline now offers a total of 71 routes from Hungary connecting Budapest and Debrecen with 30 countries.
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