Wizz Air U-turn on Cardiff hub opening 24 hours after announcing new routes

Low-cost airline Wizz Air has postponed the start of seven routes and the opening of its newest UK hub just a day after announcing the launch. The airline was set to start flying from its base at Cardiff Airport at the end of this month to seven sunshine destinations but the move has been delayed with the airline blaming continuing Covid travel restrictions.

The airline had announced that they planned to begin operating from Cardiff on July 30th with services to Tenerife, Mallorca, Alicante, Corfu, Faro, Heraklion, and Larnaca, after the Welsh government confirmed the end of quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers returning from amber list countries.

However, in a statement Wizz Air said: “As a result of the ongoing Covid-19 related travel restrictions, and ever-changing quarantine measures in place across the UK and Europe, it is with regret that we have had to take the difficult but responsible decision to further postpone the opening of our new Cardiff base until summer 2022 to give our customers, employees and business partners certainty during this difficult time.

"This has not been an easy decision and we understand the disappointment our customers in South Wales will be feeling. We apologise for the inconvenience this further delay might have caused to our customers. We remain dedicated and look forward to opening our fourth UK base at Cardiff Airport and to welcoming passengers onboard our young and green aircraft fleet next summer.”