wizz air are back!!

[Skytrance]

Something positive, let's hope they hang around for a while and get the routes back up, if memory serves did they not have 7 routes at one point into GLA?

8 it was, Warsaw, Gdansk, Budapest, Bucharest, Lublin, Vilnius, Poznan, Katowice

was 1 off I'll take that

[Clive]

Good piece of business. Wizz aren't the best in many ways, but beggars can't be choosers. They've talked about expansion plans in the UK, so it's good to have them at GLA (and not at EDI).

Having said that, they do seem pretty fickle, having jumped from PIK to GLA to EDI and back to GLA in the space of little over a decade! I might be imagining this, but did Wizz not at one point announce a 4 aircraft base at EDI, just before covid?

It will be interesting to see if there's anything to confirm the fees angle - but the question arises if GLA can offer Wizz more attractive terms than EDI, then why can't they do the same with FR?

Maybe they will and we’ll have a wholesale migration to the Dear Green Place.

[Iain]

It will be interesting to see if there's anything to confirm the fees angle - but the question arises if GLA can offer Wizz more attractive terms than EDI, then why can't they do the same with FR?

Maybe they will and we’ll have a wholesale migration to the Dear Green Place.

That would be quite something to see!

Good to see the airport twitter account are on the ball for once and had sent out a tweet within minutes. I see The Herald has picked up on it too, but I don't have a subscription:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/238 ... t-glasgow/

[GeorgeNTravels]

It will be interesting to see if there's anything to confirm the fees angle - but the question arises if GLA can offer Wizz more attractive terms than EDI, then why can't they do the same with FR?

Maybe they will and we’ll have a wholesale migration to the Dear Green Place.

That would be quite something to see!

Good to see the airport twitter account are on the ball for once and had sent out a tweet within minutes. I see The Herald has picked up on it too, but I don't have a subscription:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/238 ... t-glasgow/

A major airline has quit the Scottish capital and switched its flights to Glasgow Airport.

Wizz Air said it is moving its Budapest and Bucharest flights from Edinburgh to Glasgow.

It is also closing its Edinburgh to Gdansk route. Edinburgh Airport said the move was "disappointing" while the relaunch was welcomed in Glasgow.

Wizz Air, which claims to be Europe's fastest-growing and most environmentally sustainable airline globally, told The Herald it is launching flights to Budapest and Bucharest from Glasgow, which previously departed from Edinburgh.

The routes will take off from Glasgow in November and replace the services from Edinburgh the same week. There will be two flights per week for both destinations. It increases Wizz Air’s frequency from Glasgow Airport to four flights per week.

Wizz Air said the new flights to Budapest and Bucharest will give Glasgow-based travellers the opportunity to explore the historical European cities just in time for sensational Christmas markets and festivities.

Marion Geoffroy, managing director of Wizz Air UK, said: “Budapest and Bucharest may sound similar in name, but they offer so many different, amazing activities for travellers wanting to explore more of what Europe has to offer.

"From incredible restaurants to the great outdoors, both locations have something for every kind of explorer.

"We’re pleased to continue to connect Glasgow to the rest of Europe and look forward to operating these flights from November as part of our new winter schedule."

Matt Hazelwood, chief commercial officer at AGS Airports, which owns Glasgow Airport, said: “Wizz Air’s return to Glasgow is fantastic news, offering two sensational destinations in Central and Eastern Europe.

"From this winter, Scottish travellers can jet away to Budapest and Bucharest, both flown twice weekly. Whether it’s sipping local Furmint wine on a Danube city cruise through Budapest or exploring the world’s heaviest building in Bucharest, both destinations will offer our passengers the perfect city break this winter."

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: "Although it is always disappointing to lose a valued airline partner, routes to Budapest, Bucharest and Gdansk continue to be well served by Ryanair. This ensures continuity of service for passengers travelling from Edinburgh to these fantastic cities."

[Iain]

Thanks George!

No mention of the fees. Maybe they were just being out competed by FR - they were pretty quick to drop their Tirana route after FR announced it too.

[PiperOne]

Good news, and completely out of left field. Nice to see someone coming back for a change.

Let's hope for success to encourage Wizz to stick around, and maybe try some other things in due course. I suspect they might be trying to put some space between themselves and the yellow harps.

[Sharpal7]

Great news.

From memory they have been slated for their performance re delays/timekeeping recently. Maybe moving from the congested airport down the M8 to GLA will help address this in some way.

[Darren10]

Fantastic to see Wizz back on the scene. New buisness has been hard to come by recently.

I can't see much truth behind the fees argument. If true, why would FR still have a substantial base?

[Ken1]

Probably FR are getting much better rates than Wizz now they have 11 aircraft at EDI, economies of scale and clout. So FR operational costs on these duplicated routes lower.

Whereas, Wizz negotiating a good rate with GLA, means they can now offer same fares etc at a profit.

[Clive]

Fantastic to see Wizz back on the scene. New buisness has been hard to come by recently.

I can't see much truth behind the fees argument. If true, why would FR still have a substantial base?

The incentivised period Wizz had with Turnhoose will have expired. As far as I know the rebates on charges operate on a sliding scale to the end of the initially agreed period. Is it 5 years they’ve been there by chance?

If it is indeed ‘all the one market’ then GLA is a viable and congestion free alternative airport for Scotland. So it will be interesting when all sorts of new start deals expire at the other airport and GLA are waiting in the wings with new start incentives if its own.