Summary
- Wizz Air will begin flying from Milan to Abu Dhabi in June 2025 with its to-be-delivered first Airbus A321XLR.
- It will become the carrier’s longest route by time and distance, although that may change in the coming months.
- It will have a block time back to Italy, which will have headwinds, of up to 7h 20m, although the flight time will probably be ~6h 30m.
Ultra-low-cost carrier Wizz Air is the third-largest airline serving Europe by seats for sale after Ryanair and easyJet. Its growth has been rapid in recent years but is currently lower than usual due to ongoing engine issues. According to OAG, it has 4.7% of the continent’s short-haul seats, providing one in every 21.
When all of Wizz Air’s units are combined, each with the same branding, ch-aviation shows that the Group has 223 passenger aircraft: the A320ceo, A320neo, A321ceo, and A321neo. The 239-seat A321neo is the airline’s largest, most common, and most cost-efficient equipment on a seat-mile basis. As you may know, Wizz Air will receive its first A321XLR next year. The aircraft, destined for Wizz Air Malta, is expected to fly from Milan Malpensa to Abu Dhabi initially.
Wizz Air’s routes of 6h 10m+
As of September 5, the carrier’s longest routes—those with a block time of 6h 10m or more—are as follows. Based on what it submitted to OAG, this analysis covers September 2024 to July 2025. As such, it’s certainly likely that things will change.
Photo: MS_Digital I Shutterstock
As this analysis covers the airline’s summer and winter seasons, block times can vary, with only the maximum stated here. Generally, the higher blocks exist in the winter with higher winds. Many other routes not covered here have block times of 6h or 6h 5m.
|
Maximum block time: September-June |
Route* |
Which of Wizz Air’s four units operates it? |
Comments |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7h 20m |
Milan Malpensa-Abu Dhabi |
Malta |
A brand-new route and, therefore, its new number one. Will be served daily on the A321XLR. Begins June 2, although this depends on aircraft delivery |
|
|
7h 5m |
Rome Fiumicino-Abu Dhabi |
Currently, it’s Abu Dhabi, but it will switch to Malta this winter |
The current longest. Daily year-round A321neo. Some block times are 6h 45m |
|
|
6h 40m |
Dubai-Vienna |
Malta |
Returns in October; then twice-weekly year-round |
|
|
6h 35m |
Abu Dhabi-Vienna |
Malta |
Mainly five-weekly year-round. Some block times are 6h 5m and 6h 10m |
|
|
6h 15m |
Riyadh-Rome Fiumicino |
Malta |
Mainly twice-weekly year-round |
|
|
6h 10m |
Hurghada-London Luton |
UK |
Returns in October; three weekly year-round |
|
|
6h 10m |
Bucharest-Tenerife South |
Malta |
Four weekly year-round |
|
|
6h 10m |
Gdansk-Tenerife South |
Hungary |
Twice-weekly year-round. Some are 6h and 6h 5m |
|
|
6h 10m |
Abu Dhabi-Katowice |
Hungary |
Returns in October; mainly five times weekly year-round. Some services are 6h |
|
|
* This direction for the maximum block time |
New longest route: Milan-Abu Dhabi
Wizz Air announced this route in early 2023, which was to be flown by the A321neo, but it was pulled from sale before its first flight. It is returning, just on the more capable A321XLR. Milan-based pilots and cabin crew will remain overnight in the UAE, increasing costs and complexity, which airlines like Wizz Air usually avoid.
Photo: AstroVictor | Shutterstock
Like the airline’s bog-standard neos, the XLRs will have the same heavy single-class 239-seat layout. In addition to obviously having more range, the XLR will also be able to carry more bags over a longer range, helping with capability, opportunities, sector revenue, and overall performance. It will also help overcome the impact of winter winds, increasing range and performance.
At 2,548 natural miles (4,719 km) each way on a Great Circle basis, this new service will be Wizz Air’s longest by distance and block time. The schedule is as follows, with all times local:
- Milan Malpensa-Abu Dhabi: W47060, 10:25-19:00 (6h 35m block)
- Abu Dhabi-Milan Malpensa: WR7061, 20:00-01:20+1 (7h 20m)
Image: GCMap
This roundtrip means 13h 55m of aircraft use (excluding ground time), which is about the 14h daily utilization that Wizz Air aims for. However, it will clearly do another roundtrip (just somewhere much closer) in the morning, pushing it to 16h+. It is unknown if this will begin before or after the first Milan-Abu Dhabi flight.
Of course, that’s counterbalanced by having only four sectors rather than the preferred six. That’ll be partly offset by being on its 239-seat XLRs, higher average fares to/from Abu Dhabi, and passengers no doubt buying many more ancillary things on that longer service, especially food and luggage.
Image: Wizz Air
What will the flight time be?
Wizz Air’s CEO has often said its XLRs will operate between seven and eight hours. Given he referred to Abu Dhabi-Milan as having a “flight time” of 7h 20m, he meant block time.
Block time includes taxi time at both airports, flight time, and time for short delays. It reflects slot possession and ‘padding’ to ensure good punctuality. So, what about the flight part?
Photo: PhotographerKevin360 | Shutterstock
For this, it is worth looking at Wizz Air’s current longest route: Rome Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi. According to Flightradar24 data since August 1, Wizz Air flights in that direction, which have headwinds, have taken between 5h 38m and 6h 16m, but generally around 6h. In contrast, Etihad’s widebodies, which cruise faster, took 5h 15m to 5h 48m. They’re typically 15 to 20 minutes faster.
What about Abu Dhabi-Milan? Etihad’s widebodies have taken up to 6h 11m in the same period, but usually around 6h. Wizz Air’s slower XLRs will probably take 6h 15m-6h 30m. That is very reasonable for the XLR, even with Wizz Air’s heavier, high-capacity layout. I suspect the carrier’s future XLR routes probably won’t be much beyond that level.