Travel restrictions prompt Wizz to put St Petersburg launch on hold

Expanding Central European carrier Wizz AIr has been forced to put plans to launch its first Russian base on hold as a result of fresh travel restrictions. In June Wizz announced plans to this month open a base at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, one of a series new base announcements it has made since the initial round of Covid-related border restrictions were lifted. Wizz had planned to mark the new base by opening five new routes - connections to the Italian airports of Bergamo airport near Milan and Venice Treviso, as well as Copenhagen, Malta and Salzburg. But a statement from the airline on the airport’s website says it has postponed the launch of its base as a result of travel restrictions. It has postponed the launch of the five new routes until 3 December. The carrier also in December plans to add flights from St Petersburg to two more Italian cities - Bologna and Turin - and the Scandinavian capitals of Oslo and Stockholm.<br/>