Wizz Air’s Abu Dhabi joint venture suspends plan to resume Russian flights

A Wizz Air Airbus A320 at Luton Airport in Luton, UK on May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Boyers

DUBAI, Aug 19 (Reuters) – European budget airline Wizz Air (WIZZ.L) It said on Friday it had delayed the resumption of flights between Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the Russian capital, Moscow, until further notice, citing “industry supply chain constraints.”

The airline announced earlier this month that its joint venture with Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, would resume flights between the two cities in October.

It is unclear what restrictions Wizz Air mentioned in its statement that the restart of the route has been put on hold. Airlines around the world are facing labor shortages after massive layoffs during the pandemic.

Sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow in the wake of Moscow’s attack on Ukraine have restricted the supply of Russian spare parts, while globally there have been delays in the movement of goods, in part because of ongoing pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Wizz Air suspended all combat to and from Russia on February 27. London-listed Wizz Air holds a 49% stake in the joint venture. State fund ADQ owns 51%.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is registered as an Emirates airline. Wizz Air also holds an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in the UK and Hungary.

European airlines have stopped operating flights to Russia, while Russian airlines have been banned from EU airspace as part of Western sanctions against Moscow in response to the war.

Instead of imposing sanctions on Russia, the UAE has said it seeks to maintain a neutral stance in the war. Emirates is one of the foreign airlines still operating flights to Russia.

Written by Alexander Cornwell, edited by Tomasz Janowski

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