Wizz Air Announces First A321XLR Route, Again

Wizz Air has again announced the first scheduled route, which will take place aboard the upcoming Airbus A321XLR.

The European budget carrier previously revealed that the aircraft would be deployed between Milan and Abu Dhabi, seemingly confirming this would be the debut route.

However, the CEO has openly stated that the expectation is that the first proper route will be deployed between London Gatwick and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Flights between this route will commence on March 31, 2025, whereas the Milan to Abu Dhabi flight will take place later.

Wizz Air expects its first Airbus A321XLR to arrive in early 2025, following the required certification in recent months, which will pave the way for deliveries to commence.

The carrier believes that the A321XLR can truly help redefine single-aisle travel and sees the aircraft as optimal across 7 to 8-hour routes without acquiring a widebody aircraft, which would go against the model.

Target markets for the A321XLR are still being discussed internally as the airline prepares to welcome the important XLR to its fleet alongside many other next-generation Airbus aircraft.

From India to the Middle East, all from Europe, these markets already mentioned by airline team members highlight just the realm of possibilities and thus give Wizz Air much more food for thought.

However, the likelihood remains that Wizz Air will look to head East from Europe more than West. The airline ruled out any possible plans to enter the transatlantic market, which has proved incredibly challenging and has many associated risks.

Delivery Problems

Unfortunately, however, despite Wizz Air’s significant announcements about the commencement of these routes and specific dates, the airline is unable to control them.

Its Chief Executive reaffirmed this through recent comments, stating that the goalposts always continue to pivot.

As a result, the airline is truly “at the mercy of Airbus,” while it has to plan for route commencement and delivery, they may not occur on time.

Worse still, Wizz Air says those delivery goalposts have already pivoted so much that forecasting properly is challenging.

The A321XLR was initially expected to enter service in 2023 following certification, but concerns over the additional fuel tank and subsequent fire risks sparked fresh year-long delays.

Ultimately, Wizz Air isn’t the only airline feeling something similar and certainly not the only aircraft. At the industry’s current stage, there isn’t a single aircraft type that is not being delayed and hurting airlines’ long-term plans.