Wizz Air wants restart of Ukraine flights as soon as possible after any ceasefire

Any resumption hinges on the estimated six-to-eight week timeframe to declare Ukrainian airspace safe. Wizz Air is poised to swiftly resume flights to Ukraine if a ceasefire with Russia is declared. Chief executive Jozsef Varadi revealed the airline's ambitious plan to reinstate approximately 30 inbound routes within six weeks of any such announcement. "We have a firm plan for the restart of Ukraine, because I think it can happen any moment," Varadi stated, emphasizing the airline's readiness. He outlined the strategy, explaining, "Once a ceasefire is announced, then we would look at our restart.".

This rapid resumption hinges on the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's estimated six-to-eight week timeframe to declare Ukrainian airspace safe. Varadi confirmed Wizz Air is actively preparing for this reopening. It comes amid heightened tensions in Ukraine and across Europe after President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about a timeline to begin negotiations to end the war that Russia started three years ago this month.

The pair discussed the matter on an hour-and-a-half phone call on Wednesday, in which Mr Trump said they agreed to "work together, very closely" – sparking concerns that Kyiv was being shut out of the process. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth denied suggestions that Mr Trump’s call, which sparked concern among European officials that a deal was being done over their heads, was an act of betrayal.

Wizz Air said it would restart operating bases in Kyiv and Lviv, Varadi said, initially aiming to supply an annualised capacity of about 5 million seats a year to the Ukrainian market across 60 routes. Prior to the war in 2021, the low-cost airline was No. 3 in the Ukrainian market with a 10.1 per cent share. Rival airline Ryanair has also said it would start flying to Ukraine once the war ends. Wizz Air cut its annual net income forecast for the second time in six months in January, as it grapples with rising costs related to the grounding of some 20 per cent of its fleet due to engine problems and economic uncertainties.

However, Varadi expects the economic outlook to improve and for capacity to increase by about 20 per cent in the 2025 fiscal year on the expected delivery of 50 new Airbus aircraft between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026. "That is a significant source of growth and also we are recovering some of the engine-related grounded aircraft and they will go back into service," he said. "So if I look at the kind of the next two years of capacity, we're going to be able to add around 80 lines of flying to the business," he said.