Wizz Air plans direct flights between India and Europe at average one-way fares of just 200 euros | Business News
Hungary-based ultra low-cost airline group Wizz Air plans to launch direct flights connecting India with various destinations in Europe and is targetting average one-way fares of just 200 euros, or around Rs 18,000, Wizz Air’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) József Váradi said. While Váradi hopes that Wizz Air will start flying to India as early as the next financial year, he said that the timeline would be contingent upon the airline receiving all the necessary approvals in India as well as Europe.
With Wizz Air—one of Europe’s leading budget carriers—set to start inducting the Airbus A321XLR—the extra long-range version of the A321 aircraft—from next year, India would be within reach for the airline group from its stations in countries like Hungary, Austria, and Italy. Wizz Air’s current fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft do not have the range to operate direct flights from Europe to India.
According to Váradi, the XLR is expected to be able to operate non-stop flights of up to 8.5 hours, enough to connect various cities in Europe with India. Initially, Wizz Air is looking to connect “six to seven” European cities with some of the major airports in India. According to Váradi, while the average one-way fares that the airline is targeting for India-Europe flights would be in the range of 200 euros, the cheapest tickets could go for as low as sub-100 euros.
“We are going to receive the very first XLR in nine months, in February 2025. And we will have 47 of those aircraft coming in. With regard to India…We are in discussions with the (Indian) government and the regulator, and also in Europe… From Europe, we are a designated carrier from Italy, Austria and Hungary… We are talking to the Indian side to make sure that the designation is recognised, accepted and approved,” Váradi told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the CAPA India Aviation Summit in Delhi.
“Currently, when I talk to Indians living in different parts of Europe, one of the biggest issues is that it is so expensive to fly (to India). That is what is going to change, and I think that needs to change. It would be great for the economy and great for the Indian people,” Váradi said, adding that low fares usually attract tourists and diaspora more, and there is significant demand for affordable travel between India and Europe from both these segments.
Currently, almost all direct flights between India and Europe are operated by full-service carriers, with hardly any budget carriers in the mix. Like Wizz Air, IndiGo will also start inducting the A321XLR into its fleet from next year, and could launch direct flights to Europe from India.
A point-to-point carrier that claims of having the lowest cost model in Europe, Wizz Air has been in operation for over two decades. The airline group operates over 750 routes, and flies to and from more than 190 airports in 50-plus countries. The group has four operating airlines—one each registered in Hungary, Malta, the United Kingdom, and Abu Dhabi. It has a total of 33 bases across 16 countries in Europe and the Middle East, and a fleet of over 200 aircraft.
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Wizz Air is also “very keen” to start flights between Abu Dhabi and India, Váradi said, adding that discussions are in progress on that front as well. “From the Abu Dhabi end, we are a designated carrier, (but) that remains subject to acceptance and approval by the India side. So, this is what we are working on,” he said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
