Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is to station its first pair of Airbus A321XLRs in London and Milan, and use the long-range jets to operate services to the Middle East next year.
The airline will base its first XLR at London Gatwick and fly daily to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah from 31 March.
Wizz Air says the XLR will arrive during the same month, and that its extended range will allow it to offer “direct access to distant destinations at significantly lower fares”.
It states that a second XLR will be based at Milan Malpensa and serve Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, daily from 2 June.
Wizz Air chief Jozsef Varadi says the “ambitious growth” achieved at Gatwick makes stationing its first XLR at the airport a “natural, strategic decision”.
The carrier, which has 223 Airbus single-aisle aircraft, already bases five A321neos at Gatwick, from where it serves 26 destinations.
“This new type of aircraft will allow us to provide a wider range of routes and increase our capacity, offering our passengers even more travel opportunities,” says Gatwick chief Stewart Wingate.
