Wizz Air Hungary is reopening bookings for flights from Abu Dhabi to several European destinations, with services beginning in October and November 2025.

Flight schedules show routes from Katowice and Krakow in Poland launching on 10 October. The carrier plans to resume Larnaca services from 15 November, operating four times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and Sofia flights from 17 November on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The revival comes just weeks after Wizz Air shut down its UAE-based joint venture, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, as of 1 September. Although that UAE-local unit has ceased operations, these new services will operate under Wizz Air Hungary's air operator certificate rather than via a UAE-based hub.

Wizz Air's withdrawal from Abu Dhabi earlier this year was framed as part of a strategic realignment. The airline cited mounting challenges including geopolitical volatility, frequent airspace restrictions in the Gulf, regulatory hurdles in securing traffic rights, and the strain of maintaining low-cost operations in a hot climate on engine performance. Wizz Air also flagged supply chain constraints and limited regional growth potential as factors behind the decision.

The renewed routes represent a cautious return rather than full reinstatement. The Larnaca and Sofia services will run until October 2026 and March 2026 respectively, according to the schedule listings. Wizz is also listing additional Abu Dhabi routes, such as from Bucharest starting 30 November, and from Budapest as of 1 December.

Experts see the move as a hybrid strategy: maintaining presence in the Middle East without resuming full scale local operations. By operating flights into Abu Dhabi from European bases, Wizz Air retains access to the UAE market while avoiding the cost and regulatory overhead of a local base. This model also mitigates exposure to some of the operational, infrastructural and regional constraints that had negatively impacted the former joint venture.

However, the re-entry carries risk. Wizz Air continues to grapple with global fleet constraints and engine inspection delays, in particular for its Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. These technical challenges have forced the grounding of multiple aircraft and hampered fleet growth plans. Wizz's executives emphasize that resolving these bottlenecks remains critical to sustaining its expansion ambitions.

Within the region, competition is stiff. Low-cost and hybrid carriers already connect the UAE to Europe, and Wizz faces challenge in capturing traffic without a home base. Moreover, the regulatory and slot allocation environment in the UAE remains tilted in favour of established flag carriers, potentially limiting Wizz's growth flexibility.

MENAFN12102025000152002308ID1110183638