Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) has announced plans to reactivate its Wizz Air Ukraine (Kyiv Igor Sikorsky) subsidiary, approximately three years after it was shut down.
According to the Livyi Bereh news site, the Hungarian carrier confirmed the development following a meeting between Wizz Air CEO Joseph Varadi and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko this week in Kiev.
Under the plan, Wizz Air Ukraine will seek to complete certification in 2019 following which EUR2.5 billion (USD2.65 billion) will be poured into the acquisition of twenty A320/321 neo jets. Bases will be developed in Kiev as well as other cities across the country. By 2025, it aims to have a passenger throughput of 6 million passengers per annum.
“The resumption of Wizz Air Ukraine’s operations would contribute to the development of the Ukrainian aviation industry by providing highly cost-effective travel options for millions of Ukrainians and tourists who want to visit Ukraine,” the statement said.
According to the ch-aviation capacity module, Wizz Air currently controls a 7.48% share (17,460 seats/week) of Ukraine's weekly seating market behind leader Ukraine International Airlines with 97,823 (41.91%). It operates out of Kyiv Igor Sikorsky, Lviv, and Kharkiv.
Wizz Air Ukraine ended active flight operations in 2015 on the back of instability in Eastern Ukraine, the devaluation and volatility of the Hryvnia, and the impact of foreign exchange controls. At the time, it had operated two A320-200s from its then Kyiv Igor Sikorsky hub.
