Low cost carrier Wizz Air will replace two of its four Airbus A320 aircraft based in Skopje with the larger 230-seat A321 jets this summer. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline confirmed that the first of the two aircraft will begin operations from the Macedonian capital on May 30 and the second from June 15. They will be deployed on a number of routes from Skopje including Berlin, Beauvais, Bratislava, Cologne, Eindhoven, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg, Hahn, Hamburg, Hannover, Malmo, Memmingen, Nuremberg and Rome. Together, the two aircraft will operate a total of 42 flights per week. As a result, Wizz Air will increase its capacity from Macedonia by 23% this year when compared to 2017, offering 1.8 million seats for sale from Skopje and Ohrid.
Wizz Air has been operating the Airbus A321 since November 2015 and currently has 24 of the type in its fleet, with a further seventeen on order. Furthermore, the carrier has an additional 184 of the more fuel-efficient A321neo jets on order, which are to be delivered between 2019 and 2026. The deployment of the A321s to Skopje, which boast an extra fifty seats compared to the A320 frames, further demonstrates Skopje's importance within Wizz Air's network, as well as the strong demand the airline has seen on the Macedonian market. This year, the carrier will introduce new flights between Vienna and Ohrid, and will also upgrade operations between Skopje and Milan, with services to operate to Malpensa International Airport instead of Bergamo from March 26.
In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline said that the stationing of the two A321s in Skopje represents a natural development following several years of strong growth on the Macedonian market. "Wizz Air, Macedonia's leading airline, has carried 1.2 million passengers on its flights to and from the country in 2017, representing a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Wizz currently offers thirty low cost routes to fifteen countries from Macedonia: 27 from Skopje and three from Ohrid. Two Airbus A320 aircraft will be replaced by the Airbus A321s, the largest member of Airbus' successful single-aisle family", the company said. It previously noted that The biggest benefit of the A321 for passengers is the lower fares the airline can offer as result of its greater efficiency versus the A320s.
