While low-cost airlines initially began as a way to shuttle passengers between nearby European cities, the model has taken off and, over the last decade, carriers have started launching routes that span farther and farther distances — in some cases, between continents.
Norse Atlantic Airways (NRSAF) ‘s new route between London and Cape Town quickly became the industry‘s flashiest new flight of 2024 for the distance — 5,188 miles airport to airport — and significantly lower cost compared to the $2,000-range offered by the two mainstream airlines that previously had a monopoly on the route: South African Airways and British Airways.
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Africa has since become an industry focus as mainstream U.S. airlines such as Delta (DAL) and United (UAL) have launched a number of flights to South Africa and Ghana. London-based EasyJet (EJTTF) also announced a flight between London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Luxor International Airport (LXR) in Egypt that will start running in November 2024; low-cost flights to the continent from the U.S. are much more challenging to launch due to the distance.
Low-cost airline to launch new flights to Jeddah, Abu Dhabi
The latest low-cost carrier to announce two new flights to a faraway destination is the Budapest-based Wizz Air (WZZAF) . The new route between London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) and King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah will launch in March 2025, while a second flight between Milan and Abu Dhabi will begin running two months later in June 2025.
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Both will run on the new Airbus A321XLR (EADSF) and take a respective six hours and 35 minutes and six hours in the Saudi Arabian direction. Flight-time will be seven hours in the Gatwick direction.
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Wizz Air CEO calls Saudi Arabia a ‘natural, strategic decision’
“We are excited to offer unbeatable fares to our customers on the new route from London Gatwick to Jeddah,” Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said in a statement on the new routes. “Since establishing our base at London Gatwick in 2020, we have demonstrated ambitious growth, making it a natural, strategic decision to operate our first Airbus A321XLR from this airport.”
The London-Jeddah route will have a base fare of £134.99 (roughly $177 USD) while the flight departing from Milan will start at €99.99 (roughly $110 USD) without surge and last-minute pricing. While the distance to Saudi Arabia from the two cities is almost identical, the London flight will be more expensive due to the higher fees that airlines get charged to depart from the city’s airports.
Váradi confirmed to journalists that the ultra-low-cost experience that Wizz Air is known for will carry forward to the longer flights.
That means there will be no food other than what passengers bring into the plane with them or choose to buy from the onboard menu. There will be extra fees for baggage and seat selection, as travelers forgo all “frills” to get there as cheaply as possible — something the airline initially thought would not work for a flight of nearly seven hours.
“Fifteen to twenty years ago I thought three hours would test passenger tolerance,” Váradi said at the same press conference. “[But] people vote with their wallets.”
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