Wizz Air closes Abu Dhabi base and expands in Bucharest

Endless losses in Abu Dhabi

Wizz Air decision is motivated by the losses incurred by its Gulf subsidiary and by a difficult environment to operate. The airline cited ongoing geopolitical tensions in the last two years. Airspace closures, and travel disruptions as the main reasons behind the pullback.

Operational challenges in Abu Dhabi also contributed to the airline’s decision. The region’s extreme climate led to faster engine wear, undermining the efficiency of Wizz Air’s low-cost model. Additionally, the carrier was not granted the market access to India and Pakistan that had initially motivated its expansion there.

According to CEO József Váradi, the outlook for a turnaround in the loss-making Abu Dhabi unit remains bleak. He confirmed to news agency Reuters the will of Wizz Air to reinvest in its “bread and butter” operations of central and eastern Europe. Founded in Hungary, Wizz Air built its reputation as a budget airline catering to eastern and central European travelers.

“We’ve been under-investing in central and eastern Europe in recent years. Now, we’re returning to our core markets—markets we know are profitable,” Váradi told Reuters. In those regions, Wizz Air competes directly with Europe’s largest airline, Ryanair.

Wizz Air currently has 280 aircraft on order from Airbus, scheduled for delivery over the next five years. Váradi confirmed that the allocation of most of these planes will be in central and eastern Europe, which already represent about two-thirds of Wizz Air’s business. In Western Europe, the UK, Italy, and Austria account for nearly 30%. By comparison, Abu Dhabi represents a share of just 5% in Wizz Air operations.

Bucharest, the first to reap the benefits of Wizz Air strategic shift

Wizz Air’s renewed focus on central and eastern Europe begins with a concrete step: the announcement of its expansion in Bucharest. Beginning on October 26 for the IATA winter season, the low-cost carrier will base a second aircraft at Bucharest Baneasa – Aurel Vlaicu International Airport while adding new destinations out of Bucharest Otopeni- Henri Coanda International, the main airport of the Romanian capital.

Consequently, the airline relocates nine routes from Otopeni to Baneasa. Five of them will exclusively start from Bucharest’s secondary airport. In parallel, the carrier will add six new routes at Bucharest Otopeni.

Bucharest is of crucial importance to Wizz Air. Starting October 26, 2025, four routes to Milan Bergamo, Barcelona, Brussels-Charleroi and Turin will be operated from both Otopeni and Baneasa. The airline will exclusively fly from Baneasa to Athens, Basel, Frankfurt-Hahn, Memmingen and Nice. It will offer 42 flight frequencies on these nine routes from Baneasa.

At Bucharest main airport, the Hungarian budget carrier will launch routes to Bratislava, Brindisi, Cologne, Gdansk, Pescara and Porto. Tickets for all these routes are already available online on the airline’s official website and through its mobile app.