Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W, Abu Dhabi International) will take its first A321-200NY(XLR)s in 2026, deploying them mainly on routes connecting Abu Dhabi International with points in Western Europe, Wizz Air Holdings CEO József Váradi told The National, an Emirati newspaper.
The low-cost holding wants to wait until Pratt & Whitney delivers upgraded GTF Advantage engines for the new type, which is currently expected in late 2025.
"We want to wait for that because Abu Dhabi is a hot and harsh environment which exposes the engine a lot more than a benign European operation. We want to make sure that we have a resilient engine for operating the aircraft here in Abu Dhabi," Váradi said.
He outlined that the new type would extend Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's flight radius to around eight hours, two more than possible with the standard-range A321-200NX. Varádi remains confident that with "the right pricing point", passengers will be willing to travel to Western Europe on an all-economy, high-density aircraft.
The holding plans to take the first of its 47 firm-ordered A321neo(XLR)s in the first quarter of 2025 with a total of eight due in throughout that year. The airline announced plans to place the first aircraft of the type with Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton) for its new daily London Gatwick-Jeddah International route from March 31, 2025. Varádi said initial bookings have been better than expected. Starting on June 2, 2025, Wizz Air Malta (W4, Malta International) will deploy its first A321neo(XLR) on the new Milan Malpensa-Abu Dhabi route.
Wizz Air is aiming the XLR at three target markets: London to the Gulf, Abu Dhabi to Western Europe, and Central Europe to India.
The ch-aviation fleets module shows that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi's current fleet comprises eight A321-200s and four A321-200NX.
