Quote: ‘Challenging macro-economic environment and high operational costs, including fuel, mean that, unfortunately, we are unable to continue operating from Cardiff Airport’
Wizz Air is stopping all flights from Cardiff Airport this month – including to Spain – after the company confirmed it is closing it’s Welsh base.
Wizz Air UK managing director Marion Geoffroy said: “The challenging macro-economic environment and high operational costs, including fuel, mean that unfortunately we are unable to continue operating from Cardiff Airport.
“We sincerely apologise to our customers in Wales and the southwest of England for the disruption and inconvenience that this will cause.”
Wizz Air said last year it was cancelling most of its Cardiff flights, until April 2023, due to “economic pressures”, despite only launching flights back in April 2022.
The Hungarian airline had originally planned eight services for summer 2023, with destinations including Spain, Greece and Portugal.
These will no longer go ahead.
Wizz Air currently operates Cardiff flights to Milan and Bucharest, although these will end by January 25.
Wizz Air continues to fly from eight other UK airports, including London Luton, London Gatwick and Birmingham.
A Cardiff Airport spokesperson said they were “deeply disappointed” that the airline was to cease operations.
“It is regrettable that Wizz Air has cited the economic climate as its reasons for withdrawing its operations out of Cardiff.
“There has been positive booking trends and very strong passenger demand to travel from Cardiff in 2022 and current booking trends for 2023 remains similar.
“We have been working closely with the airline since 2020 and their latest indications to us, were that bookings for this summer are ahead of this time last year, so we see their decision as surprising,” they said.
They added that passengers affected can still fly to the destinations, as airlines TUI, Ryanair, KLM and Vueling remain in operation.
Anyone affected can get a 120 per cent refund in airline credit, 100 per cent cash refund or fly via an alternative airport.
In 2022 Wizz Air carried more than 100,000 passengers to and from Cardiff Airport.
Wizz Air was also once the largest operator at the now-closed Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
However, it pulled out in June 2022, leaving just TUI flights remaining.
The UK airport closed for good in October 2022.
