Wizz Plans 14 New Destinations From Gatwick

The proposed network growth from the London airport comes after the airline bought a portfolio of slots from Scandinavian LCC Norwegian Air Shuttle.

Wizz Air has confirmed the launch of 14 new routes from London Gatwick (LGW) during the summer 2022 season after the ULCC acquired additional slots from Norwegian Air Shuttle.

As reported by Routes, the Budapest-based carrier has bought 15 daily slot pairs at the UK's second largest airport and plans to station five Airbus A321neo aircraft there from spring onwards.

The aircraft will serve existing routes from Gatwick to Athens (ATH) and Malaga (AGP), as well as new year-round and seasonal destinations including Faro (FAO), Palma de Mallorca (PMI), Larnaca (LCA) and Tel Aviv (TLV).

There will also be new routes from Milan Malpensa (MXP), Rome Fiumicino (FCO), Vienna (VIE), Bari (BRI) and Naples (NAP) to Gatwick, operated by Wizz Air Hungary.

"These new routes are further evidence of our commitment to providing low-fare connectivity to our UK customers," Wizz Air UK MD Marion Geoffroy said.

Wizz opened a base at Gatwick in October 2020, launching a number of seasonal leisure services. However, CEO József Váradi has repeatedly complained that growth has been stifled by the lack of available slots.

The airline recently joined Gatwick, Belfast International (BFS) and Edinburgh (EDI) in calling for a return of the "80-20 use-it-or-lose-it" airport slot rules to be reinstated in the UK for the summer 2022 season.

In the EU, the European Commission has already set a minimum slot usage threshold of 64% for the summer 2022 season-up from 50% currently.

Wizz's new routes from Gatwick will provide further competition for easyJet and British Airways' new lower-cost subsidiary, which is set to launch in 2022.

Meanwhile, Wizz has also confirmed a new route from London Luton (LTN). Flights to Sarajevo (SJJ) in Bosnia-Herzegovina will be served twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from March 29.

Source : " Routes "