In a major expansion drive, low-cost carrier Wizz Air has confirmed that it will launch 20 new routes to Saudi Arabia over the coming months.
These new routes will be from Bucharest, Budapest, Catania, Larnaca, Milan, Naples, Rome, Sofia, Tirana, Venice and Vienna to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam in Saudi Arabia.
Tickets for all the new routes have already gone on sale on the carrier’s website. With its Wizz Flex policy, passengers can cancel their flight up to three hours before departure without any fee and receive 100 per cent of the fare immediately reimbursed in airline credit. The operating schedule of the new flights is below:
| Route | Operating Days | Sales start | Flights start | Fares from* |
| Budapest – Riyadh | Monday and Friday | On sale | 09/01/2023 | €54.99 |
| Budapest – Jeddah | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 10/01/2023 | €54.99 |
| Budapest – Dammam | Thursday and Sunday | On sale | 20/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Bucharest – Riyadh | Monday and Thursday | On sale | 09/01/2023 | €54.99 |
| Bucharest – Jeddah | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 10/01/2023 | €54.99 |
| Catania – Riyadh | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 18/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Larnaca – Riyadh | Monday | On sale | 17/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Larnaca – Jeddah | Saturday | On sale | 08/07/2023 | €54.99 |
| Larnaca – Dammam | Tuesday | On sale | 04/07/2023 | €54.99 |
| Milan – Jeddah | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 03/12/2022 | €54.99 |
| Milan – Riyadh | Thursday and Sunday | On sale | 20/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Naples – Riyadh | Tuesday | On sale | 18/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Rome – Riyadh | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 06/12/2022 | €54.99 |
| Rome – Jeddah | Wednesday and Saturday | On sale | 11/01/2023 | €54.99 |
| Sofia – Riyadh | Thursday and Sunday | On sale | 20/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Tirana – Dammam** | Monday & Friday | On sale | 17/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Venice – Riyadh | Thursday and Sunday | On sale | 20/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Venice – Jeddah | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 18/04/2023 | €54.99 |
| Vienna – Riyadh | Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday | On sale | 19/12/2022 | €54.99 |
| Vienna – Jeddah | Tuesday and Saturday | On sale | 13/12/2022 | €54.99 |
“Today’s announcement follows the Memorandum of Understanding we recently signed with the government enabling us to contribute to Saudi tourism’s growth and its entire ecosystem,” said Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air.
“I see the kingdom as a long-term strategic market for Wizz Air where we will continue to innovate and carry the flag of low cost flying for the benefit of Saudi residents and visitors as well as the country’s diversifying economy.”
Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board at Saudi Tourism Authority, added:
“Today’s announcement of 20 new routes to Saudi is one of the largest such announcements anywhere in the world. It is a real first for Wizz Air and for Saudi, and opens a new and affordable gateway for visitors from Europe that will allow everyone to come and explore the world’s most exciting new destination.
“This is already an exceptional partnership and today is just the start. We are making it easier than ever to get to Saudi and are confident that increased travel options and competitiveness will expand consumer choice and drive down costs.”
Wizz Air recently signed a MoU with the Ministry of Investment for Saudi Arabia. The MoU is a Ministry of Tourism initiative, aimed at furthering the objectives of the Saudi tourism sector.
The airline added that the latest decision to add the new flights was in support of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 programme which aims to triple the country’s passenger traffic by 2030.
