Wizz Air to restore 12 Middle East routes this winter

Wizz Air will restore a dozen Middle East routes starting this month, half of them serving Abu Dhabi, though it has no plans to reopen its base in the emirate. Budapest-Amman and Rome-Milan-Jeddah services begin in September. In October, six Abu Dhabi routes launch from Budapest, Cluj, Krakow, Katowice, Larnaca and Sofia, along with Budapest and Bucharest to Dubai and Budapest to Jeddah. A mix of Airbus A321neo and A321XLR aircraft will operate the flights, with no aircraft dedicated to specific routes.

Wizz Air suspended services to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Dubai and Israel after attacks on Iran by Israel and the USA in late February. The phased restoration follows a revised conflict zone bulletin from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. That bulletin noted significant improvement in Jordan during August but advised against flying over Persian Gulf waters. The airline said it will continue to monitor developments and coordinate with authorities, with all services subject to ongoing operational and security assessments. Wizz Air withdrew its Abu Dhabi venture a year ago, citing operational challenges including engine reliability.