Bratislava Airport to Offer 12 New Air Routes in Winter Season

Bratislava, 16 August (TASR) - Low-cost airline Wizz Air will open a base at M.R. Stefanik's airport in Bratislava by placing two Airbus A321neo aircraft there and launching 12 new air routes from Bratislava to Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and Norway in the winter season, Bratislava airport director Dusan Novota told a news conference earlier this week with Wizz Air representatives in attendance. Novota added that this step will increase the number of passengers handled by some 1 million annually. "The opening of a Wizz Air base is a historic milestone for M.R. Stefanik Airport. This biggest expansion of air routes that we have managed to agree with an airline is a great success and will bring a significant increase in the number of passengers from the current 2 million to 3 million annually in the coming years," said Novota. The airline will place two 239-seat aircraft at its base, which will enable it to transport almost 1 million passengers next year. This will expand travel options and the economic development of the airport. As of mid-November and December, it will launch new flights to Athens, Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga, Basel, Lamezia Terme (Italy), Naples, Palermo, Nis (Serbia), Plovdiv, Varna (both Bulgaria) and Oslo. At the same time, the airline will fly from Bratislava to Bucharest as of October 28. An air link with Switzerland will be available for the first time in 15 years, as the last flight to Basel from Bratislava took place in 2010. The airline will offer a total of 15 regular routes with current regular flights to Skopje and London-Luton. The new air destinations are Romania, Serbia, Switzerland and Norway, which have not been regularly served from Bratislava in recent years. Novota added that the expansion of air routes will also have a positive impact on employment, as the two new aircraft will require some 27-30 people. The increase in passengers will also bring new job opportunities for Bratislava itself in the areas of transport, gastronomy and accommodation services. ko/df