Wizz Air restores Cyprus link to Middle East ahead of winter season

Wizz Air will restore its Larnaca-Abu Dhabi route from October 27, as the airline brings back services connecting Cyprus and other European cities with four Middle Eastern destinations during the winter season. The airline said on Tuesday that flights to Abu Dhabi and Dubai from October 25, alongside services to Jeddah and Amman, would progressively return to its network. The Larnaca-Abu Dhabi service will operate three times a week, with fares starting from €24.99, making it the lowest advertised fare among the 12 routes being restored. Wizz Air said the returning services would provide 470,000 seats over the winter season, covering 12 routes and 49 weekly flights between European cities and Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The wider programme will reconnect nine European cities with Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah and Amman, with flights returning on different dates between September and October. The Budapest-Amman route resumed on September 22, with three weekly flights and fares from €29.99, while the Rome-Jeddah service restarted on September 7 with four weekly flights from €59.99. The Milan-Jeddah route resumed on September 6 and will operate seven times a week, with fares starting at €49.99. The remaining routes are due to restart from October 25 or October 27, including Budapest-Abu Dhabi, Budapest-Dubai, Budapest-Jeddah, Cluj-Abu Dhabi, Krakow-Abu Dhabi, Katowice-Abu Dhabi and Bucharest-Dubai. Larnaca-Abu Dhabi will operate three weekly services from October 27, with tickets already on sale through Wizz Air’s website and mobile app. The airline’s other October routes include three weekly Sofia-Abu Dhabi flights from October 27, four weekly Budapest-Abu Dhabi flights from October 25 and five weekly Budapest-Dubai flights from the same date. Budapest-Jeddah and Cluj-Abu Dhabi will restart on October 27, operating three and two times a week respectively. Krakow-Abu Dhabi will operate three times a week from October 27, while Katowice-Abu Dhabi will have five weekly services from October 25. Bucharest-Dubai will also restart on October 25, with seven flights a week. Fares advertised by Wizz Air for the returning routes range from €24.99 for Larnaca-Abu Dhabi to €79.99 for both Krakow-Abu Dhabi and Bucharest-Dubai. The airline said the return of the services followed the latest review and revision by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) of its conflict-zone recommendations for the region. Wizz Air said it had also carried out its own operational and security assessments before restoring the services. The airline said it would continue monitoring developments and co-ordinating with relevant authorities, with all flights remaining subject to ongoing operational and security assessments. “We are delighted to confirm that Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Amman are returning to the Wizz Air network,” Wizz Air corporate communications manager Olivia Harangozo said. “We know how much our customers have missed these destinations, and their return comes at exactly the right moment, as people begin planning their winter escapes,” she added. Wizz Air said the four destinations were expected to attract winter travellers seeking warmer weather, with daytime temperatures in the region regularly reaching about 25°C during the European winter. The timetable means Cyprus is among the European markets directly benefiting from the restoration, with Larnaca-Abu Dhabi returning as one of the 12 services in the programme. The resumption nevertheless remains conditional on the airline’s continuing assessment of operational and security conditions in the region.