Wizz Air Abu Dhabi eyes chunk of Indigo A321neo order

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W, Abu Dhabi Int’l) intends to take “a fair share” of the 255 A321neo Family jets recently ordered by Indigo Partners on behalf of Wizz Air Holdings, Chief Executive Kees van Schaick told the Emirati state-owned WAM news agency.

He did not go into details concerning the number or variants of aircraft the Emirati low-cost carrier would seek to take from the order announced during the 2021 Dubai Air Show, of which 102 aircraft – seventy-five A321-200Ns and twenty-seven A321-200NX(XLR)s – have been earmarked for the London-listed LCC group with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2027. The allotment could conditionally increase by a further nineteen A321-200Ns. Wizz Air has also secured 75 purchase rights and has conversion rights for all aircraft to other variants.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi currently operates four A321-200NXs, of which three are active and one parked at Al Ain airport, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. Van Schaick said the LCC would activate all four aircraft by February 2022, as Abu Dhabi’s demand picks up following the removal of travel restrictions. In the future, the airline hopes to add around five aircraft per year, although van Schaick said that if the market improves faster than expected, it could revise these plans upwards.

In terms of network, van Schaick stressed that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi would aim to launch more routes in the Gulf region. He also hinted that sister carrier Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) could launch flights to Abu Dhabi Int’l (it currently only serves Dubai Int’l in the UAE) to facilitate better synergies between the two companies.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is 51%-owned by the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, a state-owned corporation in the emirate, with Wizz Air Holdings owning the remaining 49%. Besides the Emirati unit, Wizz Air Holdings owns Wizz Air and Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton).