Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced it will establish a
new base at Gatwick airport with one Airbus A321 aircraft and launch four new
routes to Athens, Naples, Lanzarote and Malta from 22 October.
Gatwick will be the airline’s third UK base in addition to
Luton and the recently announced Doncaster Sheffield airport. Wizz Air started
flying from Gatwick in 2016 and said it has since carried almost 1 million
passengers. The new routes mean the carrier will operate 119 routes to 69
destinations from 11 UK airports.
Flights to Athens will launch on 22 October, operating on
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, along with services to Naples on the
same schedule. Flights to both Lanzarote and Malta will then launch on 22
October and operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Wizz Air UK’s MD Owain Jones said the airline is “ready to
continue to support the UK’s recovery with further growth at key airports, if
slot blocking by other airlines is stopped, allowing Wizz to deliver on our
promise of providing affordable travel for all”.
Wizz Air has called for the European Union to end its waiver
on the 80/20 slot rule at the end of the summer season to allow airlines to
pick up capacity on routes that others do not plan to operate until demand
starts to recover in earnest next summer. The European Commission is reportedly
considering extending the slot rule suspension until the end of the winter 2020/21
season.