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Emirates budget airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is synonymous with ultra-low fares. Remember the Abu Dhabi-Athens Dh1 deal? The airline keeps making waves in the market with its cheapest deals, but how does it do it?
In preparation for the busy winter and travel season, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi Managing Director Michael Berlouis revealed in an interview several efficient and environmentally friendly ways the airline is delivering incredible deals to customers.
“So, I guess it’s not the same thing. It’s the whole model. We’re ultimately trying to reduce the cost of air travel to the bare minimum that we can operate safely and reliably. For example, this plane has more seats than our competitors. We will Do more flights than our competitors. Our staff basically go and come back. We have a very small office team to support and manage operations. We are operating some of the most fuel efficient aircraft in the world, the A321 Neo, With the new engine technology, our fuel consumption has been reduced by about 20 percent,” Berlouis said.
The airline has a fleet of six new Airbus A321neo aircraft, offering the lowest fuel consumption, emissions and noise footprint. It claims to have the lowest environmental footprint among competitors in the region, supporting the airline’s long-term commitment to sustainability.
“So really, for us, everything in the value stream is optimized. Minimizing the cost to passengers and maximizing the number of passengers per flight. Really, that’s what allows us to basically have something like The reason for the cost structure of some ultra-low cost airlines around the world. So, in this region, I know it’s fairly new. But when you look at our pricing structure with the pricing structure you see in the US and Europe, It’s actually not that different.”
The airline flies to destinations including Alexandria (Egypt), Almaty (Kazakhstan), Amman (Jordan), Ankara (Turkey), Aqaba (Jordan), Athens (Greece), Baku (Azerbaijan), Belgrade (Serbia) and Dammam ( ), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Kutaisi (Georgia), Manama (Bahrain), Male (Maldives), Muscat (Oman), Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan) ), Salalah (Oman), Santorini (Greece), Sarajevo (Bosnia), Sohag (Egypt), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Tel Aviv (Israel), Tirana (Albania) and Yerevan (Armenia), etc. Promotions aside, Dh179 is the average fare for most destinations in the network.
Berlouis pointed to a trend between popular summer and winter travel destinations.
“We have found in our last 12 months of operation that there are two distinct seasons between summer and winter. Routes that perform well in summer tend to perform poorly in winter, and the same is true. Sarajevo and Baku have performed very well in summer , while in winter Tel Aviv will do better. We have other routes like Jordan that do well all year round because there are also a lot of friends and family who want to visit. In fact, our fares compare to our competitors Very attractive. What it does is bring people together and make it affordable now for people who haven’t been able to see their families for the past five years.”
Plans for the Indian Subcontinent and Africa
Berlouis said the airline was considering expansion into Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
“By the end of the year, we will have eight aircraft. We will be looking to expand further in Central Asia because we think Abu Dhabi is underserved. There is a lot of demand there. We are also looking at Africa. In that region, for example Other destinations in Saudi Arabia and Doha. Finally, the Indian subcontinent, basically at some point, once we get regulatory approval, we hope to start flying there. I think the December bookings look strong. We The outlook for next year is pretty strong. We expect to announce more destinations in the coming weeks.”
Contrary to popular belief, Berlouis noted that the airline caters not only to backpackers but also Emirati families and residents.
“Initially when we came in, everyone thought, well, you know, there are going to be a few backpackers who really want to fly on Wizz Air, but everyone else is going to stick with the traditional airline. What we’re seeing is very different. So , yes, we have some people who will buy super cheap tickets. They will buy tickets, they won’t buy anything else, they will travel with backpacks. However, what we’ve seen, our customer statistics, we have UAE nationals and residents, who want to go on holiday to Maldives, are happy to fly Wizz Air because it means they can afford to spend more on hotels, food and drinks at their destination rather than paying to actually get there. Nationals are owning a second home and they can now visit it more often because it’s easier to get to. So, for us, it’s all about reducing travel costs and making it more accessible to everyone.”
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a joint venture between ADQ and Berlouis, emphasises that the Abu Dhabi government has been very supportive, especially when it comes to connecting new destinations. “We want to give people more choice in where to go on their next holiday and make it easier for people to get into Abu Dhabi and holiday here.”
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