It has added three new destinations to the Balkans and the Middle East to its flight schedule, Athena in Wizz Air. The Hungarian low-cost airline presented yesterday at a press conference its new routes, which are already being implemented and connect three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) Athens with Tirana and Tel Aviv. In addition, Wizz Air operates four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) routes between Athens and Bucharest. On December 12, the airline operated its first flights from Eleftherios Venizelos to Tirana and Tel Aviv, and on the 2nd of the same month, it connected Athens with Bucharest for the first time.

Including three new destinations, Wizz Air, which began operations in our country in May 2004, operates a total of 12 routes from Athens to 11 countries, carrying a total of 1.6 million passengers on more than 16,000 flights. It also operates 83 routes from Greece (eg Thessaloniki, Mykonos and Santorini) to 14 countries, carrying 4.4 million travelers on over 41,000 flights.

The Hungarian airline connects the Greek capital with Tirana, Bucharest and Tel Aviv.

The Hungarian carrier has a fleet of 175 aircraft (A320ceo, A321ceo, A320neo, A321neo), the size of which increased by 18% in 2022 compared to 2021. Describing the airline’s operating model, the representative of the Hungarian airline said that a significant part of its income also comes from the sale of products not related to its activities, while the average stay of its aircraft at airports does not exceed 30 minutes. Wizz Air has annual sales of €15 billion, employs 20,000 people and is estimated to hire 2,000 people a year.

As was also announced on the sidelines of the Wizz Air New Routes event, passenger traffic at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport decreased by 3.5% in the first ten days of December compared to the corresponding period in 2019. The preparations for Christmas and New Year are expected to further close the gap with 2019. Athens Airport has carried 22.1 million passengers since the beginning of the year, magnetizing new airlines such as Air China, which is expected to announce its plans. for the interconnection of the Greek capital with the “Land of the Dragon”.

More broadly, aviation is expected to recover in 2023. In Greece, according to the periodic report of the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), a record number of flights is expected until January 22.