By Joanna Plucinska LONDON (Reuters) -Budget carrier Wizz Air plans to return to full-capacity in Israel by September as it positions itself as the largest inbound carrier into the country, Chief
Wizz Air Set to Resume Flights to Israel Next Month After Abu Dhabi Exit
By Joanna Plucinska
LONDON (Reuters) -Budget carrier Wizz Air plans to return to full-capacity in Israel by September as it positions itself as the largest inbound carrier into the country, Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi told Reuters on Thursday.
The Hungary-founded airline earlier announced first quarter profit below expectations as a result of plane groundings, and instability in the Middle East that forced frequent airspace closures and hit travel demand.
Wizz Air suspended Israeli flights in June during the Israel-Iran war. It now plans to resume flights on August 8, although competitor Ryanair has said it will not return to Israel until October 25 at the earliest, and British carrier easyJet will not return to the region until March next year.
"Operations are totally safe and secured right now. The situation can change, and it has changed a few times before, but we have a very robust system to monitor this from a safety and security perspective," Varadi said in an interview.
He acknowledged that European carriers were cautious about their return and that Wizz Air's presence in Israel would be "larger than all European airlines combined."
Wizz Air pilots and staff had earlier complained about being asked to fly over the region given the turmoil of the last two years.
The airline announced in July it would close the loss-making Abu Dhabi base it set up six years ago to drive Middle East expansion.
Only 5% of the capacity to Israel was located in Abu Dhabi, Varadi said, meaning the exit from the hub was unlikely to have a major impact on Wizz's strategy in Israel. Varadi reiterated that much of the Abu Dhabi capacity would be relocated to central and Eastern Europe.
(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
