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ABU DHABI: Low-cost carrier Wizz Air Abu Dhabi plans to hire up to 400 pilots and cabin crew this year as the Emirates airline prepares to fly more routes and capture a bigger share of demand for cheap flights. The airline currently has 400 employees.
“We have just organized a recruitment event for cabin crew and there will be another one to follow,” said Johan Eidhagen, CEO and Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.
The airline is also looking for employees to fill ground operations positions at its Abu Dhabi hub. Pilots working in Abu Dhabi earn an average monthly salary of AED 23,000 to AED 36,000 (plus incentives) and flight attendants take home an average of AED 8,000 to AED 10,000 a month, according to listings on recruitment data provider Glassdoor.com .
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is known for its strong launch rate, “doubling in size in 2022”, “we carried about 600,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2023; the load factor of our flights is increasing.”
The airline’s passenger numbers will grow sixfold to 1.2 million in 2022, as it doubles its fleet size from four to nine A321-neo aircraft. It now flies to 39 destinations in 25 countries from Abu Dhabi, and plans to start operating flights to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and reopen to popular destinations such as Larnaca, Santorini and Sokhag. route.
The airline’s ninth plane, acquired in March, provides an additional 30,000 ultra-low-fare seats per month. “We’ve been very focused on opening up new destinations within a five-hour flight of Abu Dhabi, and that’s starting to attract more new travelers to our franchise,” Eidhagen said.
The airline’s Ramadan and Eid promotions (20% off direct to select destinations) helped boost load factors. “This helps us keep ticket prices low, driving more than double-digit sales,” the CEO added.
On whether Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will benefit from the ongoing staff shortages and industrial strikes affecting the European market, Eidhagen said the airline has not yet considered reducing capacity on the affected routes.
“We’re seeing an increase in European passengers and bookings, with load factors rising from less than 70% in 2022 to 85% now,” Eidhagen said.
Saudi expansion plan
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi plans to expand to other GCC countries, notably Saudi Arabia, a huge focus for the regional airline. “We have three routes to Saudi Arabia which are very interesting and we want to develop this market further and are constantly looking for new ways to do this,” Eidhagen said.
The airline faces stiff competition from traditional airlines (Saudia, Emirates, Etihad) and budget carriers (flydubai, flynas, flyadeal, Air Arabia). In addition, there will be the new Saudi airline Riyadh Airways.
“We don’t see ourselves as a competitor to traditional operators, which are more focused on interconnected traffic,” the chief executive said. “We are focusing on VFR (Visiting Family and Friends) traffic in the UAE-Saudi region, which is a huge market. We cater to business travellers, but that is not our core market,” he added.
aircraft delivery
Eidhagen acknowledged that supply chain issues at the planemaker could affect deliveries, but the airline is working closely with Airbus to ensure its delivery schedules are prioritized and flexible.
Parent company Wizz Air. It is one of the largest customers of Airbus with 490 historical orders. “It’s not just Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, but the Wizz Air Group, which means we have solid aircraft orders,” he added.
Pricing changes
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is also steadfast in its status as an ultra-low-cost airline. Eidhagen said the strategy had been a huge success in Europe, and one of the reasons Wizz Air came to Abu Dhabi was because it saw a gap in the market.
“No one else is offering an ultra-low-cost model in this market, and there’s demand for that,” he said.
Has no intention of adding premium cabins to its flights. “One of the main benefits consumers want is safe, secure, affordable travel options,” Eidhagen said. “That’s what the ultra-low-cost carrier model does.
“Continuing to be aggressive and delivering low fares to the market is one of the ways we stimulate the market. We can keep doing that repeatedly to get a sustainable product.”
India-Pakistan plan
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is eager to increase its presence in the Indian subcontinent and has applied for a license to provide services to India and Pakistan. The airline started operating routes to the Maldives in October last year.
“The good news is that we have been earmarked to fly to Pakistan as one of the steps to start operating in the country,” said Johan Eidhagen.
While the airline has yet to announce the start of operations, “we believe there is strong demand for the product in these countries. We are working towards regulatory approval,”
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