Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s Managing Director has shared that the airline is looking to start flights to India soon.
Entry in third largest Aviation market
Michael Berlouis, Managing Director, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, in an interview to Gulf News, shared the airline is keen on entering the Indian market. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is currently in the permit-application stage in order to start flights to India.
We are at the regulatory stage, and we need to get the destinations which we would be operating into and then secure the operating permit.
said Berlouis.
The ultra-low cost carrier is simultaneously figuring out the destinations it might serve first. The airline is looking to add underserved destinations in India from Abu Dhabi.
During this phase, we are looking at which markets we will enter first, choosing ones that are underserved in Abu Dhabi.
added Berlouis.
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Competition from legacy carriers
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will face some serious competition from Etihad Airways, another Abu Dhabi-based airline which also happens to be UAE’s national carrier.
Berlouis thinks that competition from “legacy carriers” will not be a problem as its cost-base gives it a competitive advantage.
We feel our cost base gives us a competitive advantage compared to some of the other legacy carriers on the UAE-India route.
added Berlouis.
Another problem that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will face is that the Air Services Agreement between India and UAE has been exhausted, meaning that all the assigned seats per week have been used by different airlines, both from India and the United Arab Emirates. It remains to be seen how the airline will accommodate itself in the market.
The India-UAE market is one of the largest markets in the world so it will not be hard for Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to make its presence felt. The only thing that the airline will have to get right will be the fares. If Wizz Air Abu Dhabi keeps its fares low just like it does now, then it will not be hard for the airline to compete with the likes of Etihad.
Also, if Wizz Air Abu Dhabi provides easy connections to Europe and elsewhere while keeping the fares low, then it will be a win-win situation for both the passengers and the airline as the passengers will be able to buy cheap tickets to Europe and it will be easier for the airline to fill seats, rather than just targeting point-to-point passengers.
It remains to be seen whether everything goes according to Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s plan and if yes, then when and where will Wizz Air Abu Dhabi fly to in India. But one thing is for sure, whenever the time arrives, the airline will heat up the competition in the India-Abu Dhabi market!
Featured image by Airways Magazine
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