Wizz Air Grows Stronger in Southern Poland with New Planes Permanently Landing at Two Airports

• Wizz Air will base its new Airbus A321neo aircraft in Krakow and Katowice, enabling the launch of a total of 10 new routes. These modern aircraft feature lower fuel consumption and reduced noise emissions.
• In mid-July, the Hungarians announced they were ceasing operations in the Middle East. They will now focus more heavily on the dynamically growing Polish market.
• Wizz Air recently returned to Modlin Airport after 13 years. The new agreement provides for the launch of 11 routes from December 2025, making Modlin the second key base in the Warsaw metropolitan area after Chopin.

In Krakow , the newly based Airbus A321neo aircraft will enable the launch of four routes : to Bilbao (Spain), Verona (Italy), Vilnius (Lithuania), and Tallinn (Estonia). These are typical city break options.

In Katowice , Wizz Air's seventh Airbus A321neo aircraft will join its fleet, enabling the launch of six new routes : Porto and Faro (Portugal), Brindisi and Lamezia Terme (Italy), Brasov (Romania), and Maastricht (Netherlands). Flights to Porto will begin on October 26, 2025, with the remaining routes following in March 2026.

Both newly added aircraft are Airbus A321neo aircraft – among the most modern and eco-friendly aircraft in commercial aviation. They consume 20 percent less fuel, emit 20 percent less CO2, and generate 50 percent less noise than previous generations of aircraft.

"Krakow and Katowice are key locations in our Polish operations. With the addition of new aircraft, we can offer passengers from the Małopolska and Silesia regions even more attractive destinations at affordable prices. We are proud to support regional development and make air travel more accessible and environmentally friendly," commented Andras Szabo, Wizz Air's Chief Commercial Officer for Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Bankruptcy in the Middle East... for the benefit of Poland

Further expansion in Krakow and Katowice is important in implementing Wizz Air’s recently revised long-term strategy in Poland .

On July 14 this year, Wizz Air announced its decision to "strategically adjust its operations", which in practice means withdrawing from the Middle Eastern markets as of September 1 .

"Supply constraints, geopolitical instability, and limited market access have made it difficult to execute our original plans. While this was a difficult decision, we believe it was the right one in the circumstances. We remain focused on our core markets and activities that support Wizz Air's value proposition and create shareholder value," Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air, said in a statement.

Just before the pandemic broke out, the Hungarian low-cost carrier launched a new airline, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. The plan was simple and promising: operating from the United Arab Emirates, capitalize on the booming economy and demand for flights to the Middle East, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. The suspension of flights during the pandemic, the subsequent fuel crisis (including the impact of the war in Ukraine), numerous engine failures in new aircraft, and subsequent conflicts in the Middle East meant that the pace of implementation of the airline's business plan was slower than expected.

Therefore, Wizz Air intends to focus on markets with high long-term growth potential, such as Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, as well as Austria, Italy and the United Kingdom .

Wizz Air is currently the second largest carrier in Poland in terms of passengers carried. For some time now, it has held a 25% market share, significantly outpacing LOT Polish Airlines .

In the first six months of this year, Wizz Air operated over 32,000 flights to and from Poland, representing a 9.3% increase compared to the same period last year. On-time performance was 77.4%, a 9.2% increase compared to the previous year.

Wizz Air has strengthened its Modlin airport. It will become the second major player there, alongside Ryanair.

Wizz Air announced two weeks ago that it was launching an offer at Modlin Airport .

This means that Wizz Air's separation from Warsaw Modlin Airport lasted just under 13 years. A long time, but considering the turbulent nature of that relationship, it's still… a good thing. Damage to the Modlin runway in 2012 forced the Hungarian carrier to relocate. Wizz Air moved to Chopin Airport, where it has grown significantly to this day (as many as 14 Wizz Air Airbuses are based at Chopin). Meanwhile, Wizz Air filed a high-profile lawsuit against Modlin for compensation for canceled flights, which impacted the airport's finances.

The signing of the agreement with this airport on July 18th opens a new chapter in our mutual relationship. Starting in December, Wizz Air will gradually launch 11 new routes from Modlin to eight countries .

"Most of these routes are typical city-break options. It's clear there's significant demand for these types of connections. Poles like to spend money on them," Roland Tischner, Managing Director of Wizz Air Hungary, said at a press conference.