Dhaka: After a series of setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, Abu Dhabi's new low-cost carrier- Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is set to operate its inaugural commercial flight to Athens on 15 January. The new player in the Middle East aviation market is a joint venture between the UAE's ADQ and Hungary’s Wizz Air Holdings plc.

Kees Van Schaick, managing director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said: “From 15 January 2021, a new model of air travel comes to Abu Dhabi, offering new choices and new competition, demonstrating that things are looking up for next year.

The airline will run flights from Abu Dhabi to Thessaloniki on February 4, 2021. It has also announced an initial route network that includes Alexandria, Kutaisi, Larnaca, Odesa, and Yerevan.

"Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the ‘green countries’ list”, said Van Schaick.

Wizz Air is known among its European rivals as one of the largest and most competitive budget airlines. The company’s ultra-low-cost model has seen it take on some of the continent’s giants.

Earlier Wizz Air announced at the end of 2019 that it was starting a new company called Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which will become the UAE’s sixth airline when it begins operating in Q3.

Earlier Wizz Air CEO József Váradi in an interview said, “When Wizz Air launches its operations in the Middle East, it will aim to repeat and implement its successful European model. That means creating a new market for travelers and attracting people who might not have flown before. “

“I think there is a huge difference between carriers calling themselves low-cost airlines and us. We have developed a very efficient model, very low-operating cost platform, and we know that it is very capable of stimulating demand, whether it’s a highly sophisticated capital market or a relatively under-developed regional market.”

He pointed out that one of the airline’s strengths is its ability to recognize cultural differences and adapting itself accordingly without jeopardizing the fundamentals of its business model.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will initially launch with a fleet of exclusively Airbus A321neo.