Wizz Air opens Rome Fiumicino base in late 2Q21

Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) is stepping up its expansion in Italy by stationing four A321-200NXs at Rome Fiumicino from July 2021, representing its fifth base in Italy. The budget carrier also plans to double its presence in the country in the next three years by opening more bases and routes, it announced. From Rome, the airline will offer 32 new routes to 19 countries in Europe and North Africa, increasing the number of its flight connections in the Italian capital to 57, representing a capacity of four million seats per year. The new routes will connect the Italian capital with currently un-served destinations such as Liverpool (UK), Reykjavik Keflavik (Iceland), Tallinn Lennart Meri (Estonia), and Pristina (Serbia). The airline, in a statement, said the decision to go to Rome, which will become its 43rd overall base, underscored its commitment to Italy. The carrier already opened four bases in Italy – Milan Malpensa, Catania, Palermo, and Bari – within the space of a year. “In the past twelve months, 17 aircraft have been stationed in the country and [we] will double the commitment in the next three years by opening more bases and routes,” George Michalopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer of the Wizz Air Group told a news conference in Rome. He said the new base would create 100 new direct jobs and more than 1,500 ones in related businesses on site. Wizz Air’s fleet comprises sixty-five A320-200s, six A320-200Ns, thirty-four A321-200s, and seventeen A321-200NXs according to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module.