Wizz Air To Close Cardiff Base, Ceasing All Service From Airport

Credit: Matthew Horwood/Alamy Stock Photo

ULCC Wizz Air will close down its base at Cardiff (CWL) permanently from Jan. 25, shuttering operations from the Welsh capital less than a year after establishing a base there.

Wizz had said in August 2022 that it would reduce its flight schedule at CWL and temporarily close the base during the winter months. The base was opened in April 2022 with nine new routes.

Wizz's remaining routes from CWL—to Bucharest (OTP) and Milan (MXP)—will be dropped later this month when the base will close for good.

“All Cardiff-based employees will be offered redeployment opportunities at other Wizz Air bases in the UK,” Wizz said in a statement, adding: “Wizz Air remains committed to long-term growth in the UK, creating hundreds of jobs while also stimulating the tourism and hospitality industries. The airline will continue to operate at eight UK airports, flying over 120 routes and serving over 5 million customers in the UK.”

Wizz Air UK MD Marion Geoffory 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 apologize to our customers in Wales and the South West of England for the disruption and inconvenience that this will cause.”

Aaron Karp

Aaron Karp is a Contributing Editor to the Aviation Week Network.