Wizz Air Abu Dhabi navigates delays and expansions since its inception

In its first year of operation, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi expanded quickly despite challenges. By March 2021, it served six destinations and continued to grow throughout the year. Despite this expansion, the airline ended FY2020/2021 with a loss of €13.2 million.

The following years saw further growth in fleet size and network reach. In 2022 alone, capacity increased by over 200%, although losses deepened to €40.2 million by FY2022/2023. Despite financial setbacks across the group due to rising operational expenses and supply chain issues as noted by Chairman William Franke, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi added ten new destinations in June 2023.

Financial performance improved slightly in FY2023/2024 with revenues growing to €225 million; however, losses persisted at €35.6 million.

By 2024 and into early 2025, growth slowed down as some aircraft were moved back under Hungarian registration while others were repositioned within the group’s different branches. Johan Eidhagen from Wizz Air Abu Dhabi stated that their focus shifted towards better utilization of existing fleets rather than expanding them: “You can’t always just grow,” he remarked during an interview with Arabian Gulf Business Insight (AGBI). He identified India and Pakistan as key markets for future expansion pending regulatory approvals.