Latest news with #WizzAir
The Irish Sun
4 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Budget airline launches new flight routes from UK to 5 top Spanish destinations including ‘Europe's best city'
WIZZ AIR is launching five new routes from the UK to top Spanish destinations in time for next summer. The budget airline will fly from the London Luton Airport to Bilbao, Barcelona , Madrid , 5 Wizz Air is launching five new routes to Spain in time for next summer Credit: Alamy 5 Included in the destinations is Valencia - recently named 'Europe's best city' by Conde Nast Traveller Credit: Alamy Flights from London Luton Airport include daily flights to Madrid, as well as 10 flights a week to The new routes will make Wizz Air one of the key providers of budget travel to Spain. Launching just before the Easter holidays and in time for summer, flights will be available from as little as £17.99. Tickets are already available for the routes too. Read more on Spain Running five times a week will be flights to 'Europe's best city', according to In the publication's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards for the best cities in Europe, Valencia scored the highest with CNT stating: "A new winner for 2024 – Valencia is having a moment. " Spain 's third-largest city has regenerated a former riverbed into a delightfully bucolic urban park and opened sleek rooftop bars, innovating and refreshing until it became – according to our readers – the best city break in Europe this year. "From Art Deco grandeur to Most read in News Travel Located on the banks of the Turia, the Today it boasts a historical charm worth exploring, with attractions including the El Carmen neighbourhood. The Spanish surf spot with year-round sun and some of the best stargazing in the world There is a great cultural scene, too, with many top culinary spots to try. And for those who like to fly and flop, the city is home to 13 kilometres of sandy beaches with a lush To celebrate the launch of the new routes, the airline is also offering travellers the chance to win free flights to one of the destinations. Clues will be shared for a scavenger hunt across London on the airline's Instagram account. The first person to head to three 5 The other destinations include Bilbao, Barcelona, Seville and Madrid Credit: Alamy 5 The flights start from as little as £17.99 Credit: Alamy Yvonne Moynihan, managing director at "We are proud to do things the WIZZ way - always customer-first making travel accessible and affordable to all with unbeatable value flying brand Jonathan Rayner, chief commercial officer at Wizz Air is also launching new routes to Italy and Rome Fiumicino and Vienna International Airport all running daily. Fares for these flights can also be found as low as £17.99. Wizz Air's new routes to Spain THESE are all the new routes Wizz Air is launching in time for next summer. London Luton to Bilbao will run five times a week, with flights starting at £17.99 London Luton to Barcelona will run 10 times a week, with flights starting from £17.99 London Luton to Madrid will run daily, with flights starting from £20.99 London Luton to Valencia will run five times a week, with flights starting from £17.99 London Luton to Seville will run four times a week, with flights starting from £17.99 A new Plus, 5 The airline is also launching routes to Vienna and Italy this October Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Budget airline launches new flight routes from UK to 5 top Spanish destinations including ‘Europe's best city'
The airline has also added flights to three other new destinations starting this October CIAO BELLA Budget airline launches new flight routes from UK to 5 top Spanish destinations including 'Europe's best city' WIZZ AIR is launching five new routes from the UK to top Spanish destinations in time for next summer. The budget airline will fly from the London Luton Airport to Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Seville from March 29, 2026. 5 Wizz Air is launching five new routes to Spain in time for next summer Credit: Alamy 5 Included in the destinations is Valencia - recently named 'Europe's best city' by Conde Nast Traveller Credit: Alamy Flights from London Luton Airport include daily flights to Madrid, as well as 10 flights a week to Barcelona. The new routes will make Wizz Air one of the key providers of budget travel to Spain. Launching just before the Easter holidays and in time for summer, flights will be available from as little as £17.99. Tickets are already available for the routes too. Running five times a week will be flights to 'Europe's best city', according to Conde Nast Traveller. In the publication's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards for the best cities in Europe, Valencia scored the highest with CNT stating: "A new winner for 2024 – Valencia is having a moment. "Spain's third-largest city has regenerated a former riverbed into a delightfully bucolic urban park and opened sleek rooftop bars, innovating and refreshing until it became – according to our readers – the best city break in Europe this year. "From Art Deco grandeur to beachside resorts, here are eight of the city's loveliest addresses to know." Located on the banks of the Turia, the Spanish city was originally founded by a Roman colony. Today it boasts a historical charm worth exploring, with attractions including the El Carmen neighbourhood. The Spanish surf spot with year-round sun and some of the best stargazing in the world There is a great cultural scene, too, with many top culinary spots to try. And for those who like to fly and flop, the city is home to 13 kilometres of sandy beaches with a lush Mediterranean climate. To celebrate the launch of the new routes, the airline is also offering travellers the chance to win free flights to one of the destinations. Clues will be shared for a scavenger hunt across London on the airline's Instagram account. The first person to head to three Spanish landmarks Wizz Air shares will win. 5 The other destinations include Bilbao, Barcelona, Seville and Madrid Credit: Alamy 5 The flights start from as little as £17.99 Credit: Alamy Yvonne Moynihan, managing director at Wizz Air UK, stated: "While some airlines stick to siestas, we're bringing serious competition with our signature low fares and high-efficiency model. "We are proud to do things the WIZZ way - always customer-first making travel accessible and affordable to all with unbeatable value flying brand new aircraft." Jonathan Rayner, chief commercial officer at London Luton Airport said: "The continued and rising demand for city break destinations has been clear to see this year and these eye-catching additions to our departure boards build on the wealth of fantastic options already available from LLA." Wizz Air is also launching new routes to Italy and Austria in October, with flights to Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Vienna International Airport all running daily. Fares for these flights can also be found as low as £17.99. Wizz Air's new routes to Spain THESE are all the new routes Wizz Air is launching in time for next summer. London Luton to Bilbao will run five times a week, with flights starting at £17.99 London Luton to Barcelona will run 10 times a week, with flights starting from £17.99 London Luton to Madrid will run daily, with flights starting from £20.99 London Luton to Valencia will run five times a week, with flights starting from £17.99 London Luton to Seville will run four times a week, with flights starting from £17.99 A new UK airline with cheap US fares has also been 'parked' after just two flights, and now people are fearing it's been scrapped for good. Plus, Emirates has a budget airline and it's rolling out new business class seats.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Budget airline launches new flight routes from UK to 5 top Spanish destinations including ‘Europe's best city'
WIZZ AIR is launching five new routes from the UK to top Spanish destinations in time for next summer. The budget airline will fly from the London Luton Airport to Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Seville from March 29, 2026. 5 5 Flights from London Luton Airport include daily flights to Madrid, as well as 10 flights a week to Barcelona. The new routes will make Wizz Air one of the key providers of budget travel to Spain. Launching just before the Easter holidays and in time for summer, flights will be available from as little as £17.99. Tickets are already available for the routes too. Running five times a week will be flights to 'Europe's best city', according to Conde Nast Traveller. In the publication's 2024 Readers' Choice Awards for the best cities in Europe, Valencia scored the highest with CNT stating: "A new winner for 2024 – Valencia is having a moment. "Spain's third-largest city has regenerated a former riverbed into a delightfully bucolic urban park and opened sleek rooftop bars, innovating and refreshing until it became – according to our readers – the best city break in Europe this year. "From Art Deco grandeur to beachside resorts, here are eight of the city's loveliest addresses to know." Located on the banks of the Turia, the Spanish city was originally founded by a Roman colony. Today it boasts a historical charm worth exploring, with attractions including the El Carmen neighbourhood. The Spanish surf spot with year-round sun and some of the best stargazing in the world There is a great cultural scene, too, with many top culinary spots to try. And for those who like to fly and flop, the city is home to 13 kilometres of sandy beaches with a lush Mediterranean climate. To celebrate the launch of the new routes, the airline is also offering travellers the chance to win free flights to one of the destinations. Clues will be shared for a scavenger hunt across London on the airline's Instagram account. The first person to head to three Spanish landmarks Wizz Air shares will win. 5 Yvonne Moynihan, managing director at Wizz Air UK, stated: "While some airlines stick to siestas, we're bringing serious competition with our signature low fares and high-efficiency model. "We are proud to do things the WIZZ way - always customer-first making travel accessible and affordable to all with unbeatable value flying brand new aircraft." Jonathan Rayner, chief commercial officer at London Luton Airport said: "The continued and rising demand for city break destinations has been clear to see this year and these eye-catching additions to our departure boards build on the wealth of fantastic options already available from LLA." Wizz Air is also launching new routes to Italy and Austria in October, with flights to Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Vienna International Airport all running daily. Fares for these flights can also be found as low as £17.99. A new UK airline with cheap US fares has also been 'parked' after just two flights, and now people are fearing it's been scrapped for good. Plus, Emirates has a budget airline and it's rolling out new business class seats. 5
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
The reality of flying in extreme weather
Given the ever-changing patterns of tourism, airline routes tend to come and go pretty regularly. But Wizz Air's announcement last week that it will be scrapping all of its routes from Abu Dhabi (the capital of the United Arab Emirates and a bustling flight hub between Europe and Asia) may have raised more eyebrows than usual. As well as the tough commercial and geopolitical climate in the Middle East, the low-cost carrier also cited the UAE's 'hot and harsh' climate as a reason for grounding the flights, adding that the high concentration of dust in the air was causing damage to its engines. That the Gulf can be punishingly hot won't be news to anyone. But the idea that extreme temperatures can cause complications for planes seems like the sort of thing that frequent flyers might want to know more about – particularly if they plan on jetting to the region any time soon. Too hot to handle Most of the time, hotter temperatures are a matter of simple physics for pilots, says Nick Eades, a veteran captain of the legendary Boeing 747 and the author of several books. As the air heats up, it also gets lighter, which makes it tougher for a plane to get the lift it needs to take off properly. 'In days gone by, airlines had to adjust their schedules to avoid the hottest parts of the day, but modern airliners are able to operate in extreme conditions,' he says. At worst, the pilot may have to make some additional calculations, like reducing the amount of fuel on board to lower the plane's weight. Once the plane has taken off, the heat is much less of a concern (although it may well add to turbulence at lower altitudes). Though planes that land in hot weather will usually experience a higher ground speed. 'To compensate, pilots will slow down much earlier and extend the flaps and landing gear earlier than normal,' he says. Where hot weather has led to flight cancellations it's usually down to issues on the ground, rather than with per se. Last year, flights were briefly grounded in Delhi, for example, when safety authorities ruled that the airport tarmac had become too hot for a safe take off. Closer to home, flights from London Luton Airport were cancelled for a day in summer 2022, after high temperatures caused parts of the runway to melt. When the dust settles In the case of Wizz Air's experiences in Abu Dhabi, though, the issue isn't necessarily the heat but the heavy concentration of sand and dust in the air – some of which gets sucked into the engine during take-off. The extreme heat of the engine then means that much of that dust will melt, leaving behind a glass-like residue which can hamper the blades. 'This isn't like volcanic ash, where there is a risk of the plane falling out of the sky,' says Dr Claire Ryder, a meteorologist at the University of Reading who has led studies into the levels of dust around different airports. However, the gradual build-up and abrasion over time will result in performance issues for the aircraft engines, meaning lower fuel efficiency and higher maintenance costs. For an ultra-low-cost carrier like Wizz Air, which relies on cutting back any possible costs to offer the cheapest tickets possible, that is a potential headache. Given the massive aviation market in the Middle East, there is a sizeable incentive to develop engines that can better handle dust. At the University of Manchester, a team of researchers is working with Rolls Royce to conduct tests using synthetic dust, with the aim of understanding exactly what happens when it gets sucked into the engine. 'We know that the dust gets smaller the further it gets into the engine, but we are also looking at how it changes in its chemical structure,' says Dr Nicholas Bojdo, who is leading the project. The issue becomes more pertinent as engines get more powerful, as the increased capacity means that the temperatures get even hotter inside – thus exceeding the melting point for more minerals. While temperature may be rising, the climate change models aren't particularly well equipped to estimate the impact on dust, says Dr Claire Ryder. Though some studies show a correlation between rising temperatures and dust storms – the latter having led to flight cancellations (particularly in India) due to poor visibility. Snowed under Hot weather and dust are one issue, but what about the other end of the spectrum, when planes have to operate in harsh cold snaps? For all the disruption caused by snow storms and arctic blasts, the impact on the planes themselves is nowhere near as dramatic. The typical cruising altitude of passenger jets means that they are already built to handle some seriously sub-zero temperatures. If anything, colder ground temperatures can make the engines more efficient. The wings can also be treated with a special anti-freeze to ensure they aren't affected by the outside temperatures. If cold weather is going to cause problems it's likely to be on the ground. For example, snow blizzards can compromise air traffic control's visibility. In those circumstances, it's common for controllers to impose stricter safety limits, increasing the spacing between take-offs and arrivals. This usually means that some flights will inevitably be cancelled entirely. Extreme cold weather may also cause runways to be closed off, as happened at four UK airports (Bristol, Newcastle, Birmingham and Manchester) back in January, when much of the country was under an amber warning for snow and ice. As a rule of thumb, aviation authorities warn against attempting take-off when the surface is more than 25 per cent ice or snow. Perhaps Wizz Air won't be rushing to launch a Greenland or Alaska service any time soon, then. But it's good to know that, for those airlines prepared to splash the cash, the marvels of modern engineering can deal with extreme weather conditions – even if the airports themselves may not be so lucky.
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Wizz Air misses profit estimates, delays return of grounded jets
Wizz Air today missed first-quarter profit estimates as the budget airline struggles with plane groundings due to problems with Pratt and Whitney engines and warned grounded jets would return to service a year later than expected. It said existing problems had been compounded by "poorer than specified" performance of the GTF engines, leading to significantly lower time in service before needing an inspection. Wizz has struggled in recent years to compete financially with other European carriers as it grapples with the engine challenges, with the groundings limiting its ability to increase capacity to meet demand. It has issued two profit warnings in the past year. Wizz said it had 41 aircraft grounded due to GTF engine-related inspections as of June 30, and now expects the affected planes to return to the air in the financial year ending March 2027, a year later than previously predicted. "Our management team has demonstrated a high degree of adaptability in recent years when faced by severe challenges, and this year will likely continue to call on that strength as we refocus our business," CEO Jozsef Varadi said in a statement. Wizz reported an operating profit of €27m for the three months to June 30, much lower than the €87m projected by analysts polled by LSEG, and down 38.3% from a year ago. There was no explicit outlook offered for the year, but some analysts pointed to positive signs, given attempts to cut costs and build a better maintenance partnership with Pratt and Whitney. "Despite the near-term cuts, we do see some early 'green shoots' in the results around strategy and upcoming structural action being taken," JP Morgan analysts said in a note. Wizz, founded in Hungary for eastern European travellers, expanded first into western Europe, before opening a base in Abu Dhabi six years ago, and pinning its hopes for future growth on a major expansion into the Middle East. But it announced its exit from Abu Dhabi last week, blaming recent geopolitical instability for frequent airspace closures and disruptions, which have hit travel demand and meant there was no hope for recovery at the loss-making unit. Investors took the move positively, with shares up soon after the announcement, but cautioned of tough competition in Eastern Europe. "The change should improve operational performance (by moving activity out of the harsh environments). However, it means they will have to compete far more directly with Ryanair in Eastern Europe," one budget airline investor told Reuters.
