Wizz Air CEO touring EX-YU markets as airline eyes expansion


Wizz Air’s CEO, Jozsef Varadi, is touring former Yugoslav markets as part of efforts to identify new growth opportunities in the region. Mr Varadi will be in Belgrade today and is set to continue to Skopje later on. The airline boasts bases in both cities and is considering further growing its presence in the two capitals. Over the last six months, Wizz Air has launched new operations from Belgrade to Hahn, Billund, Vaxjo, Barcelona, Rome and Nice and has based its third aircraft in the city. Potential new routes of interest to the budget carrier from its Belgrade base include Lisbon, Cologne and Milan.

Wizz Air recently based its fifth jet back at Skopje Airport, restoring its fleet in the city to pre-pandemic levels. The budget carrier now boasts three Airbus A321s and two A320s in the Macedonian capital. The carrier is preparing to take part in the Macedonian government’s tender aimed at subsidising the launch of new routes, which it has won on all three previous occasions. Tender procedures are likely to kick off this summer with Wizz considering flights from Skopje to Slovenia, as well as a destination on the Croatian coast, Prague and the resumption of some routes previously discontinued by the carrier from the Macedonian capital. New services from Ohrid are also expected.

The low cost airline has significantly expanded throughout the region in recent months, with additional new routes from its base in Sarajevo, as well as new seasonal operations to Split. In addition, the carrier has singled the possibility of opening a base in Pristina in the near future. “The Balkans are one of our success stories. We will look at new opportunities in the region as long as we are satisfied with the marketplace”, the company said. Apart from new routes, the airline is also looking at hiring new pilots from the region. It will host an open day for students and experienced pilots in Ljubljana on April 25, as well as in Zagreb on April 26.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Hmm I just noticed that they removed 'New' from all of their newly launched destinations from BEG except Nice and Rome which were announced in 2022. Hopefully they are preparing themselves for a new round of expansion at BEG.
    It would be great as it would force others to become much more competitive. Luckily JU is safe as its CEO has his strategic planning. lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:04

      What routes could they launch from BEG?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:07

      I am sure CGN will be among the first ones. It was reported on here that it was the busiest unserved market from BEG.
      Then there is Lisbon which would make sense since they are doing really well in Nice and Barcelona and there is still time to get those summer tourists.

      I could see them launch Milan and maybe Athens.

      Would be fantastic to see them on VIE-BEG as they would lower the fares and steal some passengers from buses.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:50

      it's disappointing that they don't introduce MAD-BEG. I'm sure it would be successful for them as BCN.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:00

      Well there is already JU on that route so they would kill them since they are not very competitive in general. I'd rather have Wizz launch a new destination that is not served from BEG.
      Catania would be nice as a summer seasonal destination like Heraklion and Santorini.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:07

      They removed "new" to SKP as well but i think its only a glitch :)

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:05

    What are the plane types they have based in BEG. 5 is SKP is quite impressive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      A321ceo in BEG, all three of them.
      AUH is operated by A321neo.
      Luton by a mix of the two.
      DTM with the A320 from SKP.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:11

      Thanks. Nice to see all three being A321s. I thought one was an A320.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:13

      They make up 75% of the skopie market share and therefore normal to have 5 planes.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:16

      ^ I didn't say it wasn't :)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:20

      How many planes do they have in Tirana now?

      Delete
    6. 9 aircrafts so far. Crazy!

      https://wizzair.com/en-gb/information-and-services/about-us/news/2022/03/31/wizz-air-adds-9th-aircraft-and-3-new-routes-to-tirana

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:44

      Very big and quick expansion indeed.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:46

      Of course, they get huge subsidies in TIA.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:01

      True, not only did TIA give them a discount but they also get funds for marketing for every new route they launch.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous12:07

      Anon 09:46 Source?

      Delete
    11. JATBEGMEL13:46

      @12,07

      TIA offered/offers all airlines various types of subsidies. It is published on their website. Subsidies vary if the airline bases an aircraft in TIA, upgrades frequency or aircraft, opens new routes. Wizz went from 0 aircraft and base in TIA to 9 aircraft and 43 routes in 2 years. They would be getting fantastic subsidies in TIA because of this.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous13:53

      Incentives not subsidies

      Delete
    13. Anonymous13:54

      Let's hope that they re-base A321NEO in Belgrade

      Delete
    14. Anonymous14:32

      A321neo has just 9 more seats thatn the A321ceo, so that wouldn't make a huge difference. If we speak about the noise and fuel savings, than we see a significant improvement.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    Hunting for subsidies?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Why not? That's how Wizz Air works.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:20

      That's why it is successful ;)

      Delete
    3. JATBEGMEL13:47

      Nothing wrong with it. All airlines like subsidies and try to lower costs when possible.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:06

    Smart, as every CEO should do.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:07

    Will he be visiting other markets too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:18

      They launched more Italian flights in Bucharest and Polish ones to Burgas. Also the German links to Plovdiv were quite successful operating with the A321.
      In Albania they are doing quite well in Kukes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:02

      In Sofia they are not doing well, I think this year they suspended 6 or 7 destinations. Half of them were to the Greek islands like Santorini or something like that. Seems like Ryanair is massacring them over there.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:09

      Kukes didnt even start yet... lol

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:11

    Ljubljana should at least get weekly Abu Dhabi or Dubai rotation (they could cover either Tuesday or Thursday when Flydubai isn't flying) and Skopje for sure. Also judging by the prices of the tickets daily LTN should be doable

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      I hope they don't start Abu Dhabi as it would probably mean the end of Flydubai in LJU. I don't think the market is big enough to sustain two airlines on this route.

      Delete
    2. Flydubai will have daily flights from June.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      I know, but having another airline on top of that... not sure it will work.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:03

      FZ probably relies on transfers to other destinations while Wizz Air AUH would rely on locals.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:02

      Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will be only P2P passengers while Flydubai has both P2P and transfers. And no, it wouldn't mean the end of Flydubai in LJU. No way that a 2-3 weekly service to AUH will kill a daily to DXB.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:12

    I know that under today's bilateral it is not possible, but gosh, wouldn't it be great of they were allowed to fly between Serbia and Montenegro ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      And between Serbia and Turkey as well

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      Does Wizz Air even fly to Turkey?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:46

      They have seasonal flights to Turkish coast.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:46

      Agree. I can only dream one day a low cost airline operating BEG-TGD or SKP-BEG.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:47

      These flights are already low-cost and can go under only if airports lower their taxes...

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:48

      Its ludicrous that you can fly to London from Belgrade for the same price as from Belgrade to Podgorica.

      Delete
    7. JATBEGMEL13:56

      Its disappointing that JU doesn't offer Economy Light fares to Montenegro. Their fares inclusive of luggage is decent though, often cheaper compared to FR's prices between ZAG and TGD. I am sure there would be many who would use 6.000-8.000 din Economy Light return fares if they offered them.

      I would love Wizz to jump into the Serbia-Croatia market to force JU to be cheaper and more proactive on the market.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:13

    Skopje should ask for the flights to Abu Dhabi officially to start as promised, another destination in England since there are so many Macedonians living in the northern part of England. I'm guessing they will restore Barcelona as part of the "new routes" and maybe one more destination in Germany. Beside that Ljubljana might be covered as well...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:19

    Really hope they introduce flights to Lisbon ...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:36

    Love them or hate them, Wizz Air has really increased traffic in the region.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:36

    I'm a bit disappointed they are not expanding at Ljubljana. A few years ago they said how they would like to fly from LJU to Scandinavia and northern Germany but no new routes since they started flying from Slovenia.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:37

    SKP will boom again , OHD too, i hope that the routes in Ohrid will fill the capacity so that some airlines start thinking about year-long flights.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:37

    Since they have so many aircraft on order I assume they will keep expanding in the region. It would be fantastic if they added more routes to Banja Luka.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:38

    When will Wizz air start flying to the USA?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:44

      Oh, this is a good one. You're killing me.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:45

      Most probably once a321XLRs will be delivered

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:45

      What? That's not far from realistic

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:39

    It's odd Wizz has never considered Tivat, at least seasonally.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous09:53

    At least they are growing in the region

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous09:53

    Could we see any new routes?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous09:54

    Would love to see them expanding their network in Ljubljana!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:58

      For that to happen, Ljubljana would have to approach them with a good deal. Like Sarajevo.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:59

      Fees need to be reduced for that to happen.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:00

      I don't think so. They already fly from LJU with the current fees. A bigger market is what they need.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:04

      They would have a big enough market to fly from LJU to Spain.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:06

      The lower the fees, the greater and more rapid the expansion.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:07

      And why exactly Spain? I could say the same for Italy. Plus Italians are the number one tourist nation in Ljubljana.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:15

      LJU can easily sustain year round Wizz flights to Barcelona and Skopje

      Delete
  19. Anonymous10:06

    Wizz is basically looking how to employ excess resources and capacity after the closure of Ukrainian market

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:13

    Re SKP: Is he talking with TAV or the government?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:16

      I would assume both

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:18

    I'm wondering what is there left to cover for Wizz Air from Skopje? They are pretty much set. I hope the new subsidies go to a different airline. Maybe Ryanair ot Wizz Air.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:41

      I get your point but theres stil space for them to grow. Its mentioned above where and I would give SZG /INN a second postpandemic go (from both BEG and SKP) plus a second destination in the UK, Norway... Abu Dhabi, Ancona have all been mentioned by them already.

      They applied to base one aircraft in OHD @ the first version of the last tender which was annuled because of some envelope issue... so maybe now

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:03

      They could still fly to a few holiday destinations, as well as Larnaca.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:03

      Just look at Wizz Air's map, there's plenty of connections left to grow.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:09

      What is their best performing route from Skopje at the moment?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:23

      If we judge by frequency then it must be Basel they plan 10 weekly for the summer

      Delete
  22. Anonymous10:52

    BEG-ATH would be a nice addition.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous11:56

    I think they have a potential in INI to Paris and Eindhoven

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:23

      Fingers crossed.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous12:10

    I think they will announce more new in the net few weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous12:19

    Any chance for flights to Mostar in 2022?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:23

      OMO is a mess and run by politicians.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous17:37

      The Mayor of Mostar held a meeting with Mr Varadi in Budapest a couple of weeks ago and they both confirmed arrival of Wizz to Mostar, but didn't want to specify any other detailes concerning when and where they will fly from Mostar at this point of negotiations.
      Flights will happen for sure but will it be this year I doubt it, next year for sure.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous12:23

    I hope that Wizz Air goes back to its routes and focuses more on the Balkans and Eastern Europe rather than futile competition in the west where they have failed in many respects.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous12:24

    Váradi indeed seems to be touring the Balkans. There is a picture of him with the new CEO of Sofia Airport - Jesús Caballero on the FB page:

    https://www.facebook.com/SOFIAirport/photos/a.1452813291479811/5121357291292041

    I think he was either arriving or going to Skopje next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Follow HA-LYD aircraft to see the Balcan route :)

      Delete
  28. Anonymous12:51

    I would really like to see them expand in continental Croatia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:25

      Yup they should totally give Osijek another try. Or even Rijeka with year round flights they could compete in Rijeka with ryanair in Zagreb. With Rijeka they would have a big catchment area in winter the coast of Croatia, Zagreb, Slovenia and even the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Italy.

      Delete
    2. Long before LOT started flights from Poland, Transavia from the Netherlands and Volotea and Enterair from France to RJK, and before the train was introduced from Prague to Rijeka, I was suggesting to RJK to try to cover all the above mentioned markets cooperating with Wizz. Obviously the interest was not shown, at least from one side

      Delete
  29. Anonymous12:56

    We want VIE-BEG!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous12:57

    Wizz is underestimating the need of cheap travel between exyu countries

    Its time for some flights vetwen SLO/HR and MK/SRB

    BiH might be too close

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:01

      between*

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:25

      LJU-DBV would be a success from May till October.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:28

      Too large planes for the actual demand but it will happen in the near future (SPU being most perspective for these flights due to its position and tourism, of course). I would like to see them at BEG-PUY.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous13:27

    Any chance INI gets any new flights?

    ReplyDelete
  32. Biggest serbian diaspora in Italy is in Veneto, about 10.000 . So, Treviso or Verona seems the best solutions
    Air Serbia will doscontinue Bologna soon as possible, reason, about 3000 serbians live there, Emilia-Romagna region.

    ReplyDelete
  33. MarioST14:46

    I hope Wizz Air introduces Belgrade - Split as year-round operations. This route is served by Air Serbia for several years, but only on seasonal basis (from May until October) and was also served by Croatia Airlines before the pandemic (also seasonally). A lot of people are using ground transportation between Belgrade and central Dalmatia throughout the year, which is not tracked by airlines.... Skopje - Split on seasonal basis may be good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JATBEGMEL16:44

      I agree. Would love to see Wizz on the route to bring down the price at least. Travelling to SPU or DBV from BEG is super expensive. Last year, for the dates I wanted to travel, it was roughly 300€ to SPU return with luggage. I ended up going by car.

      Delete
    2. Agree as well. JAT used to fly between BEG and SPU 4-5 times per day on DC-9/B737/B727. Yes, the times changed, but I believe there is still potential for at least daily LCC in peak season and 2-3 weekly in winter

      Delete
  34. Some a321xlr and longhoul hub from Ljubljana for starters

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous15:12

    Really hope they introduce LTN-ZAG

    ReplyDelete
  36. Manchester -SKP or Liverpool would be fantastic

    ReplyDelete
  37. Would be great if we could have WAW-BEG. Would be nice to have some competition other than LOT, who's fares are stupidly expensive (~200 euros round).

    ReplyDelete

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