Varna, 14 December 2016: Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe and Bulgaria’s leading carrier, today announced that it will open its 27th base on 21 July 2017 in Varna (Bulgaria) with one new Airbus A320 aircraft. Already served by Wizz Air flights, Varna will be Wizz Air’s second Bulgarian airport with base operations.

The base establishment represents an investment of $98 million* by WIZZ in Varna, creating 36 direct jobs with the airline. The base operations will also contribute to the local economy, supporting jobs in the aviation, transportation, hospitality and tourism industries.

The new aircraft will increase the number of routes served from Varna to seven. The newest WIZZ services will connect Varna with Dortmund and Munich Memmingen in Germany, Eindhoven in The Netherlands, Larnaca in Cyprus and Milan Bergamo in Italy. The frequency of the popular London Luton service will also increase to 10 weekly flights. In 2017, Wizz Air will have over 380,000 seats on sale on its Varna routes, representing a 260% growth year over year.

Wizz Air’s first Sofia flight took off in 2005 and since then, the airline has become the market leader carrier in Bulgaria. In the past 12 months ending 30 November, WIZZ has carried over 1,7 million passengers on its low fare routes to and from its three Bulgarian airports, Sofia, Varna and Bourgas. Throughout Bulgaria, Wizz Air’s operations this year will support more than 1200 jobs** in associated industries. As a recognition of the airline’s continuous development and excellent service, WIZZ has been recently awarded with the “Sky Award” as the most preferred low-cost airline in Bulgaria.

With the new aircraft, in 2017 Wizz Air will have eight aircraft based in Bulgaria – seven in Sofia and one in Varna – employing over 300 customer-oriented crew. The Bulgarian WIZZ network now consists of 43 routes, including one domestic service between Sofia and Varna.

Wizz Air celebrates the announcement of its Varna base with a remarkable 20% off*** all flights to and from Bulgaria. This massive one-day sale*** means even greater savings for both Bulgarian customers and visitors to the country. Seats can be booked from just EUR 19.99 / BGN 39.99**** until midnight tonight at wizzair.com.

Owain Jones, Chief Corporate Officer at Wizz Air, said: “As Bulgaria’s leading airline, we are excited to announce Varna as the second WIZZ base in the country. The first Wizz Air flight took off from Varna in 2007 and since then, we have carried over half a million passengers on our low-fare routes, stimulating the local tourism and aviation industries. By establishing base operations at Varna Airport we create a number of local jobs with the airline and our business partners, while bringing even more opportunities through affordable travel to Bulgaria. Furthermore, the massive expansion of our network will allow an increased number of customers to visit Varna on our low fares, bringing further benefits to the local economy. Our dedicated Bulgarian crew will ensure an excellent travel experience for each passenger traveling with WIZZ on board our new Airbus A320 aircraft.“