Wizz Air eyes Saudi Arabia expansion to jump on growing tourism sector
Wizz Air has announced it was looking into expanding its operations in Saudi Arabia.
The low-cost carrier said today it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi ministry of investment to support the development of the country’s tourism sector.
Commenting on the announcement, travel expert Rob Staines said: “This is exciting news. Much of Saudi Arabia is underserved with a distinct lack of low cost carriers flying from Europe.
“This will open up inspiring new destinations and regions offering greater choice for leisure and business travellers, creating new jobs and boosting economies.”
The deal is part of the Saudi Arabia’s plan to boost travel and tourism, tripling passenger traffic by 2030.
Wizz Air – who is already flying on extra-European routes such as Israel, Turkey and Morocco – in February applied for a cargo licence in the US to expand its operations towards west.
“Wizz Air confirms that is has filed a request for a foreign air carrier permit in the US for the A330 freighter aircraft owned by the Hungarian Government and operated by the airline,” said a company spokesperson at the time.
“The purpose of this request is to secure any possible future commercial cargo operations to and from the United States.”