Wizz Air has launched a base in Cardiff with nine new routes to sunshine destinations across Europe and beyond. The new base is the low-fare carriers 4th in the UK and its first venture into Wales.
Passengers travelling from South West England can now take advantage of ultra-low fares on direct flights to destinations including: Alicante, Faro, Heraklion, Palma de Mallorca, Larnaca, Lanzarote and Tenerife, with flights to Corfu planned to commence in June and Sharm El Sheikh in November.
Connecting Wales with nine popular holiday destinations will provide a boost to the local economy by increasing the annual capacity of Cardiff Airport by over 330,000 seat, providing local passengers with low-fare travel opportunities on their doorstep.
Describing the arrival of Wizz as a “real turning point” for the airport in its post-COVID revival plans, Cardiff Airport CEO, Spencer Burns, said: “Our customers in Wales have been asking for a more cost-effective choice for many years. What makes this launch so exciting is that Wizz Air is an ultra-low-cost airline that will help build competition and offer improved choice to people living in Wales.”
He was joined by Marion Geoffroy, MD of Wizz Air UK, who commented: “This is a very exciting time for Wizz Air in the UK, as we celebrate the opening of our highly anticipated base at Cardiff Airport. By bringing our new and efficient Airbus aircraft to Cardiff, the wings of which are manufactured in Wales, we are providing a significant boost to the Welsh economy and creating jobs. The base, which is our fourth in the UK, will bring further connectivity to the region, with passengers in Wales and the South West of England now able to take advantage of our ultra-low fares to “fly local” to their favourite getaways. We’ve been busy building our Cardiff team, and as we continue to recruit, we encourage those looking for their next adventure to apply today. We look forward to the upcoming summer season, as we welcome new passengers with affordable, direct flights to popular holiday destinations”.
Further underlining its commitment to invest in Cardiff and the surrounding region, the airline is currently recruiting for cabin and flight crew at Cardiff Airport and was recently named as the new title sponsor of the Cardiff Half Marathon, which will take place in October.
Cardiff is also currently celebrating a decade of flights with Vueling, which has flown more than 1 million customers through the Welsh hub since starting operations there 10 years ago.
