Just a few weeks ago, Wizz Air President Robert Carey said that there would be no long-term flights to Russia. Michael Berlouis, Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi-based branch, has now announced that Moscow flights are to be reactivated on October 3, 2022.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi launched a non-stop service between the two capitals in December 2021. In Moscow they headed for Vnukovo Airport. Immediately after the Russian Federation Army invaded Ukraine, Wizz Air Group suspended all flights to Russia. First, the reintroductions to the two states were postponed several times before sales were discontinued for the entire 2022/23 summer timetable period.

Just a few weeks ago, Wizz Air Group President Robert Carey said during a media talk in Vienna that there would be no long-term flights to Russia. This decision has obviously been rejected, because the Abu Dhabi-based subsidiary wants to fly again between the capital of the United Arab Emirates and Moscow-Vnukovo on October 3, 2022. The UAE has not imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation.

However, there is some "homework" that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi needs to do before resuming flights to Russia. For example, the group has American investors and lessors. Due to the tough US legislation, they could still thwart the project. The entire fleet of the Wizz Air Group is leased, as Stephen Jones confirmed to Aviation.Direct some time ago in his former position as Managing Director of Wizz Air Hungary. The aforementioned manager is now working as CEO for Flair in Canada.

Michael Berlouis, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News: “Wizz Air Abu Dhabi operates a network of 34 destinations within a five-hour flight time radius of Abu Dhabi and offers extremely competitive fares to a variety of different destinations. We support the UAE travel and tourism industry by enhancing connectivity both regionally and globally, in accordance with national regulations and guidelines.”

Due to the fact that the said Wizz offshoot is an independent airline with an AOC and an operating license from the Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates, it is not affected by the flight ban that Russia has imposed on European and American carriers, among others. For example, Emirates Airline can continue to serve the airports in the Russian Federation and also use the airspace. The sister company FlyDubai wants to reactivate the Russia flights as well as Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

“Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a national airline of the United Arab Emirates, operating in accordance with UAE national regulations and guidelines. The airline is resuming operations to Moscow to meet demand from passengers wishing to fly to and from Russia from the UAE capital. All UAE national airlines currently offer direct flights to Russia,” a Wizz Air spokeswoman told Aviation.Direct.

Wizz Air is currently planning to fly once a day between Abu Dhabi and Moscow-Vnukovo from October 3, 2022. According to the reservation system, flights between the two airports will operate under the same flight number that was used before the Ukraine war. Flight 5W 7111 departs Abu Dhabi at 14:05 local time for the six-hour journey to Moscow, arriving at Moscow-Vnukovo at 19:00 local time. However, the planned flight time was extended by 20 minutes because a detour may have to be made in order not to fly over the border regions between Russia and Ukraine.