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Wizz Air Abu Dhabi

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Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
IATA ICAO Call sign
5W WAZ WIZZ SKY[1]
Founded12 December 2019; 5 years ago (2019-12-12)
Ceased operations1 September 2025
Operating basesZayed International Airport
Fleet size12
Destinations29[2]
HeadquartersAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Key peopleJohan Eidhagen (Officer and Managing Director)[3]
Websitewww.wizzair.com

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (Arabic: ويز اير أبوظبي) is an outgoing Emirati low-cost airline based at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The company is a subsidiary of Wizz Air. In July 2025, the company announced the cessation of its operations from Abu Dhabi on 1 September 2025.[4]

History

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On 12 December 2019, it was announced by Wizz Air that it would be setting up a new subsidiary, based at Zayed International Airport, offering low-cost flights from the airport to tap into growth markets across the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.[5] The airline is a joint venture with state-owned Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ)[6] (formerly, Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, ADDH), which owns 51 per cent with Wizz Air Holdings owning the remaining 49 per cent.[7] Flights began in November 2020 with two Airbus A321neo aircraft, rising to 50 over the next few years.[5]

In July 2020, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announced its initial route network, launching 6 destinations from its base in Abu Dhabi.[8] In an interview, Jozsef Váradi, chief executive of Wizz Air, said that the airline's fleet could grow to 100 aircraft in the next 15 years.[9]

In April 2021, as planned, Wizz Air added Abu Dhabi to its services, offering connections to Europe beyond the UAE to neighbouring Arab countries.[10]

In July 2025, Wizz Air announced it would cease all Abu Dhabi operations effective 1 September 2025, ending its six-year presence in the UAE to focus on its core European markets. It cited several challenges including geopolitical instability leading to airspace closures, extreme heat affecting engine efficiency, regulatory barriers limiting route permissions and operational constraints that undermined its low-cost model. The company's chief executive, József Váradi, said the decision "tough but necessary."[11]

Destinations

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As of March 2025, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi serves these destinations:[12]

  Operated by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W)[13][14]
  Operated to and from the UAE by Wizz Air Hungary/Malta (W6/W4)[13][15]
Country City Airport Notes
 Albania Tirana Tirana International Airport
 Armenia Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport
 Azerbaijan Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport
Qabala Qabala International Airport
 Bahrain Bahrain Bahrain International Airport Terminated
 Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo Sarajevo International Airport
 Bulgaria Sofia Sofia Airport
Varna Varna Airport
 Cyprus Larnaca Larnaca International Airport
 Egypt Alexandria Borg El Arab Airport
Giza Sphinx International Airport
Luxor Luxor International Airport Terminated
Sohag Sohag International Airport
Assiut Assiut Airport
 Georgia Kutaisi David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport
 Greece Athens Athens International Airport Terminated
Chania Chania International Airport Terminated
Mykonos Mykonos Airport Terminated
Rhodes Rhodes International Airport Terminated
Santorini Santorini (Thira) International Airport Terminated
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki International Airport Terminated
 Iraq Erbil Erbil International Airport Terminated
 Israel Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport
 Italy Rome Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport Terminated
 Jordan Amman Queen Alia International Airport
Aqaba King Hussein International Airport Terminated
 Kazakhstan Almaty Almaty International Airport
Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport
Turkistan Hazret Sultan International Airport
 Kuwait Kuwait City Kuwait International Airport Terminated
 Kyrgyzstan Bishkek Manas International Airport
Lebanon Beirut Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport
 Maldives Malé Velana International Airport Terminated
 Moldova Chișinău Chișinău International Airport
 Oman Muscat Muscat International Airport Terminated
Salalah Salalah International Airport
 Romania Bucharest Bucharest Băneasa Aurel Vlaicu International Airport
Cluj-Napoca Cluj International Airport
 Russia Krasnodar Krasnodar International Airport Terminated
Moscow Vnukovo International Airport Terminated
 Saudi Arabia Dammam King Fahd International Airport
Medina Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport
 Serbia Belgrade Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport
 Turkey Ankara Ankara Esenboğa Airport Terminated
Antalya Antalya Airport Terminated
 Ukraine Kyiv Boryspil International Airport Terminated
Odesa Odesa International Airport Terminated
 United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport Base
 Uzbekistan Samarkand Samarkand International Airport
Tashkent Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport

These destinations from Abu Dhabi are flown by the sister subsidiary Wizz Air Hungary (W6) or Wizz Air Malta (W4) and not by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W):[15]

Wizz Air Hungary/Malta formerly operated from these destinations to Abu Dhabi:

Fleet

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Airbus A321neo registered as A6-WZB

As of February 2024, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi operates the following aircraft:

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A321-200 8 230
Airbus A321neo 4 239
Airbus A321XLR TBA 239 Deliveries from 2026.[16]
Total 12

References

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  1. ^ "Airline Code Full Details - Wizz Air Abu Dhabi". avcodes.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Wizz Air Abu Dhabi on ch-aviation". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  3. ^ "Leadership Team". Wizz Air. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/156043-wizz-air-abu-dhabi-to-end-ops-in-late-3q25
  5. ^ a b Powley, Tanya (12 December 2019). "Wizz Air to set up low-cost airline in Abu Dhabi". Financial Times.
  6. ^ "Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company becomes ADQ and expands portfolio". www.sme10x.com. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  7. ^ Nagraj, Aarti (2020-12-29). "Low-cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to begin flights to inaugural destination Athens in Jan". Gulf Business. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  8. ^ Liu, Jim (12 July 2020). "Wizz Air Abu Dhabi schedules October 2020 launch". Routesonline.
  9. ^ "Wizz Air chief predicts 100-aircraft Abu Dhabi operation". Flightglobal. 22 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Wizz Air Abu Dhabi commences flight to Tel Aviv on April 18". Emerati News. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Low-cost carrier Wizz Air to exit Abu Dhabi operations". Khaleej Times. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  12. ^ "WizzAir Booking mask". wizzair.com.
  13. ^ a b "Wizz Air Online Booking". Wizz Air. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Route map Wizz Air Abu Dhabi". Flightconnections. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Route map Wizz Air Hungary". Flightconnections. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to add A321XLRs with new engines in 2026". ch-aviation.com. 24 Sep 2024.
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Media related to Wizz Air Abu Dhabi at Wikimedia Commons