Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is set for strong flight bookings in the winter months from December to February as the low-cost carrier attracts price-sensitive and repeat customers increasingly on the hunt for travel bargains.
The airline is pushing its aircraft utilisation and capacity to satisfy demand on existing routes, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's managing director Johan Eidhagen said in a media briefing on Thursday.
"There will be some last-minute bookings but December is going to be a very strong month for us. It always is between this week and the week after New Year's, which are three of the strongest weeks of the year," he said.
"We have strong bookings already for January and February ... I'm pretty confident on the winter."
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi expects to record double-digit growth in the number of passengers it carries in 2024, Mr Eidhagen said, without providing an annual target.
The airline more than doubled passenger volumes to three million in 2023, up from 1.2 million passengers last year, as the global aviation industry bounced back from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of these three million passengers, more than 1.5 million were point-to-point passengers flying into Abu Dhabi. The UAE capital is “on track” to meet its target of attracting 24 million visitors this year, up from 18 million last year, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi said previously.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's load factor – a measure of how well an airline fills available seats – stood at 85 per cent this year and is set to increase in 2024, Mr Eidhagen said. Load factors of more than 90 per cent are "not uncommon" for low-cost carriers, he added.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a joint venture between Hungary's Wizz Air Holding and Abu Dhabi state holding company ADQ, has an air operator certificate in the UAE and launched operations in 2021 amid the pandemic.
The airline last month moved its operations to Abu Dhabi International Airport's new Terminal A, where its first flight took off on November 2.
The new terminal building, which has a capacity of 45 million passengers per year, will allow the airline to further grow its operations and offer a smoother travel journey, according to the executive.
"The new terminal is, of course, a massive upgrade in capacity. So it allows us to grow without restrictions so we can add more capacity, and we focused quite a lot together with the airport on fine-tuning operations and improving efficiency,” Mr Eidhagen said.
In 2023, the airline added four new Airbus A321 aircraft, taking its total fleet to 12 jets, and increased its seat capacity by 135 per cent to 3.7 million seats.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi added eight new destinations this year, taking its network to a total of 40 routes in 27 different countries from Abu Dhabi, and plans to introduce more next year, Mr Eidhagen said.
To meet the growth in its operations, the carrier will begin a new round of staff recruitment by the start of its new financial year in April 2024, after hiring nearly 300 pilots and cabin crew this year, he said.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Violence%20
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Quick%20facts
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THE%C2%A0SPECS
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Rankings
ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,955 pts; 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,320; 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,475 ( 1); 5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 5,060 ( 1); 6. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,845 ( 1); 6. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,600 (-3); 7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,110 ( 2); 8. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 3,960; 9. John Isner (USA) 3,155 ( 1); 10. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3,140 (-3)
WTA: 1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 7,030 pts ( 3); 2. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6,290 ( 4); 3. Simona Halep (ROM) 5,582 (-2); 4. Sloane Stephens (USA) 5,307 ( 1); 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,100 ( 3); 6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 4,965 (-4); 7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,940; 8. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,430 ( 1); 9. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,566 (-6); 10. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,485 ( 1)
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
Company%20profile
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SPECS
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
