German budget airline Eurowings eyes additional Abu Dhabi flights after Wizz Air exit

Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings, which is starting services to Abu Dhabi in November, may add more flights to the UAE capital following the exit of Wizz Air and route suspensions by some European airlines.

The German budget airline will operate three weekly flights from Berlin to Abu Dhabi starting on November 3 for its winter schedule, Eurowings' chief executive Jens Bischof told The National.

“In Abu Dhabi, it was about the competitive situation, and I'm not only talking about Wizz [Air], but Air France and British Airways have all reduced or retracted their services and that was certainly a good point for us to step in,” he said in an interview in Dubai.

“With the support of the Abu Dhabi airport and government, we were able to ramp this up and make it a viable first step."

The Eurowings boss is “very pleased” with the ticket bookings ahead of the Abu Dhabi debut, thanks to relatively more affordable fares starting at Dh600 for a one-way economy class ticket.

“I believe that we will be able to even increase our services to Abu Dhabi, we're already working on further plans together with the local authorities.”

In September, Hungary-based budget carrier Wizz Air announced closure of its Abu Dhabi operations to cut costs as it grappled with engine issues, geopolitical challenges and regulatory barriers.

The airline has shifted its focus on developing its core market in central and Eastern Europe, it said at the time.

Cologne-based Eurowings, however, is expanding in the UAE with increased frequencies and new destinations on its Airbus A320 Neo narrowbody aircraft.

The new Berlin-Abu Dhabi service builds on its flights from five German airports to Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai's second hub Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

Eurowings will also start a non-stop service on December 13 from Düsseldorf to DWC three times a week and from Hanover to DWC three times a week.

These additions – on top of existing flights from Cologne, Stuttgart and Berlin to the emirate – means Eurowings will offer a total of 28 weekly flights to Dubai.

The three weekly Abu Dhabi flights take its total to 31 to UAE destinations, a five times growth since it started operations three years ago.

Eurowings will also debut its new premium business seat- called Premium BIZ seat – on its A320 Neo aircraft flying between Berlin and Dubai.

The Abu Dhabi service will not cannibalise demand for Eurowings' existing flights to DWC, Mr Bischof said, adding that the Abu Dhabi service provides passengers with more options and avoid road traffic between the two emirates.

“I don't believe that we will see a huge cannibalisation. We will see how the numbers develop,” he said. “I see a much bigger potential when we have all the three destination airports.”

Eurowings is now focused on developing traffic from the UAE to Germany, particularly on routes that are not served by Dubai-based Emirates, the airline boss said.

Middle East expansion

Eurowings is also growing its operations in the Middle East with new flights from Stuttgart to Amman and to Jeddah this winter.

It is also exploring the potential of operating flights to Syria.

“It is on the map. What we have to do is to make a safety and security assessment. This is always conducted on a Lufthansa Group-wide basis,” he said. “But Damascus is definitely on the radar screen.”

Several international and regional airlines have already resumed or started flights to Damascus – following the fall of the Assad regime – amid efforts to rebuild the economy.

“I don't believe demand would be the problem … rather it would be that we find operational stable conditions to fly in and out of the country, be it during the day or night to make sure that our passengers, crews and aircraft are safe,” he said.

This would entail a long checklist of security requirements, a lengthy process of gathering information from the local authorities and on-site assessments.

“We are in the process to find out at what point in time we would have the conditions available that would allow us – the entire Lufthansa Group – to operate in and out of Damascus,” he said.

Gaza ceasefire

Eurowings' push to expand in the Middle East coincides with the Gaza ceasefire deal that ended two years of war in which more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire.

Israel's war on Gaza, which also involved attacks on Lebanon, Iran and Qatar, escalated geopolitical instability in the region during which airlines faced operational disruptions, flight diversions, route suspensions and higher operating costs.

Asked about the impact of the deal on international travel demand to the region, Mr Bischof said that long-lasting peace will encourage more travellers to return to countries that were in the conflict hot spots.

“The first signals of things calming down will be very supportive when it comes to more desire to travel to these destinations,” he said. “However, it will take some time to have trust that it will stay that way.”

From a passenger's perspective, a peace deal will “help a lot” and airlines must make an effort to connect these destinations with the rest of the world, he said.

Eurowings is now connecting the Lebanese capital Beirut with Hanover, Salzburg and Prague once a week in its winter schedule for the first time.

“We're really trying to broaden our presence, especially with our value business model, into the region,” he said.

Small start

This traffic will build with visiting friends and relatives (VFR), before more tourists return to explore the region's culture, history and nature.

“It's very fresh now with the ceasefire, but nevertheless I do believe it will create trust,” he said. “It will always start with VFR and then tourism will follow.”

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Eurowings is serving Jeddah from Berlin, Cologne and Stuttgart, amid the development of giga-projects in Saudi Arabia.

The airline has a “good mixture of demand” from business travellers, curious tourists and some religious travel, Mr Bischof said.

Asked about new routes in Saudi Arabia, he said the airline is focused on ramping up operations in Jeddah, rather than opening new destinations, to allow the Jeddah market to mature first before studying other options.

The Middle East expansion is further sweetened by more attractive airport fees in the region compared to some European countries, he added.

Securing slots now at DWC ahead of the new terminal opening in the next decade also provides the airline with an “incredibly important” early-mover advantage, he said.

737 Max deliveries

Eurowings, which carries point-to-point traffic in Europe, operates the A320 Neo that has given it additional range to fly to destinations in the Middle East.

In September 2027, the current all-Airbus operator expects to receive the first of its 40 Boeing 737 Max narrowbody jets, which it will also deploy to the region, Mr Bischof said.

The 737 Max 8s will give the airline additional 1,000 kilometres in additional range compared to the A320 Neo and a full payload, which will allow it to operate to cities such as Muscat or Salalah in Oman, he said.

“We're definitely deploying the 737 Max on the Middle East routes,” he said. “I believe that if things go in the right direction, there is further potential for us here to grow.”