Wizz Air bets on allure of cheap seats for new low-cost Middle East flights

Low-cost airline Wizz Air will launch services between Europe and the Middle East next year, betting that passengers will trade premium seats and on-board entertainment for no-frills flights lasting about seven hours. The London-listed carrier on Tuesday announced a new route between London Gatwick and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from March next year, as well as flights from Milan to Abu Dhabi from June. Wizz Air will use new long-range single-aisle A321XLR planes on the routes, on order from Airbus. The A321XLR has a range of 8,700km and can fly for up to eight hours when configured with Wizz Air’s all-economy set-up, opening up routes traditionally served by large and less fuel-efficient wide-body planes to low-cost operators. “The Airbus A321XLR is the most cost-efficient aircraft in its class. Its enhanced range capability allows Wizz Air to connect the farthest destinations in its network, while also providing opportunities for further expansion,” said Wizz Air’s CE József Váradi. Several airlines already operate low-cost long-haul routes, including Singapore’s Scoot and Norse Atlantic Airways, which offers transatlantic flights. But unlike those airlines, which offer some of the facilities associated with long-haul flying such as premium cabins and on-board entertainment, Wizz Air’s Middle East flights will compare to its short-haul services in Europe: all economy seats and without frills. Váradi is confident passengers will be happy with an “ultra low-cost” experience on long flights, and said he expected to launch more XLR services out of the UK.<br/>