Boost for Gatwick Airport as low-cost airline Wizz Air launches new holiday routes

The airline is beginning flights from Gatwick this week to Athens, Lanzarote, Malta and Naples - with fares from £12.99.

And Wizz Air UK managing director Owain Jones said the airline was planning to expand further at Gatwick in the future.

Airport chief executive officer Steward Wingate has hailed the launch as a ‘vote of confidence.’

It comes as the aviation industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Gatwick officials are currently calling on the Government for new testing procedures to eliminate passengers’ 14-day quarantine requirements when returning from certain countries.

Meanwhile Wizz Air says its new routes will create more than 30 direct jobs at Gatwick and many more indirect jobs in the area.

The airline - the first major airline to be back flying in May following the start of the pandemic - already flies between Gatwick Airport and Sofia, Budapest, Gdansk, Krakow and Bucharest,

Owain Jones said the new routes were “further evidence of our commitment to the UK market, as we create local jobs and deliver on our promise of providing affordable, direct flights to exciting destinations.

“Now more passengers in the south can take advantage of our low fare connections and excellent onboard service, reassured by WIZZ’s industry leading enhanced health and hygiene measures.

“We’re making sure nothing stands in the way of passengers taking a last-minute trip away before the end of the year. We look forward to welcoming passengers on board our new, green and ultra-efficient aircraft fleet.”

Stewart Wingate added: “The launch of Wizz Air’s new routes and base at Gatwick is very exciting for the airline’s future at the airport.

“We know that hundreds of thousands of passengers have already made the most of Wizz’s great prices over the last several years and the four new routes offer passengers across London and the south east even greater choice when planning holidays in the future.”