On Thursday, 18 June, the Hungarian airline Wizz Air and Dortmund Airport announced at a joint press conference that Wizz Air will station three Airbus A320s at Dortmund Airport starting August 2020. The first two aircraft will be in operation starting 1 August, and the third will follow on 7 August.
This will make 18 new destinations reachable directly from Dortmund Airport: Alghero, Bari, Catania, Naples (Italy), Athens, Corfu, Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Santorini, Rhodes (Greece), Fuerteventura (Spain), Reykjavík (Iceland), Lisbon (Portugal), Zaporizhia (Ukraine), Marrakech ( Morocco), Suceava (Romania), Split (Croatia), Podgorica (Montenegro). That means Dortmund Airport is significantly expanding its range of warm-water destinations and destinations in Western Europe. “We expect to be able to welcome around one million additional passengers per year at Dortmund Airport due to the new destinations. We anticipate 250,000 extra passengers in 2020”, predicted Guido Miletic, Head of Marketing and Sales at Dortmund Airport.
The announcement brought a smile to Managing Director Udo Mager’s face:
“Stationing these three aircraft here shows Wizz Air’s great confidence in Dortmund and is the result of a long-term and successful partnership. The announcement gives us every reason to believe that the restart after the Corona shutdown will be a success and offers a positive outlook for the future.” That is also true for the future Managing Director Ludger van Bebber, who will take over from Udo on 1 October. Guntram Pehlke, Chairperson of DSW21, is certain: “Wizz Air puts the airport in a much better position for restarting. And I’m very confident that the future Managing Director will continue to develop the airport consistently.
Mr. van Bebber is a proven specialist for the exciting task in Dortmund, with a lot of experience in the industry and strong networks.
The extended operating times with approval starting 1 August 2018, which enable Wizz Air to fly three rounds per day with aircraft stationed in Dortmund on medium-haul routes, was decisive for stationing the aircraft at Dortmund Airport. In addition, the safe and smooth handling of flight operations will also be guaranteed in the long term with the planned barrier placements, even under unfavourable meteorological conditions.
In the eyes of Wizz Air, Dortmund Airport is not only an attractive destination, but also a technically efficient airport that is geared towards the needs of travellers.