Wizz Air base launches at Cardiff Airport

WIZZ from Wales: Residents from Wales and the South West will be able to WIZZ from Wales from today onwards, as Cardiff Airport welcomes Wizz Air, Europe's fastest growing and most sustainable airline*. The airline's inaugural flights to the Canary Islands from the airport were welcomed with a water cannon salute, and in-terminal celebrations, including specially-created doughnuts for passengers to enjoy from the popular Welsh doughnut makers, Whocult.

Wizz Air launches its base at Cardiff Airport with nine new routes to a variety of sunshine holiday destinations, including services to popular resorts in Spain (Mallorca, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Alicante), Greece (Corfu and Heraklion), Portugal (Faro) and Cyprus (Larnaca), with flights to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt launching in November in time for the winter season. All flights are operated by the airline's super-efficient Airbus A321 aircraft - the wings of which are made in Wales.

"We're delighted to welcome the opening of the Wizz Air base today, as it marks a real turning point for the airport in its post-COVID-19 revival plans," said Spencer Birns, CEO at Cardiff Airport. "Our customers in Wales have been asking for a more cost effective choice for many years. What makes this launch so exciting is that Wizz Air is an ultra-low cost airline that will help build competition and offer improved choice to people living in Wales and the South West. This is because of Wizz Air's low fares - from as little as £12.99 one-way."

The arrival of Wizz Air at the airport will also help to generate further economic value for Wales. "The new base represents a significant investment into Cardiff Airport and Wales by the airline which is creating over 40 direct jobs and over 250 indirect jobs**, supporting industries such as hospitality, transportation, aerospace, and tourism," confirms Birns.

Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, said: "This is a very exciting time for Wizz Air in the UK, as we celebrate the opening of our highly anticipated base at Cardiff Airport. By bringing our new and efficient Airbus A321 aircraft to Cardiff, we are providing a significant boost to the Welsh economy and creating jobs. The base, which is our fourth in the UK, will bring further connectivity to the region, with passengers in Wales and the South West of England now able to take advantage of our ultra-low fares to "fly local" to their favourite getaways. We've been busy building our Cardiff team, and as we continue to recruit, we encourage those looking for their next adventure to apply today. We look forward to the upcoming summer season, as we welcome new passengers with affordable, direct flights to popular holiday destinations".