Joszef Varadi, chief executive of airline operator Wizz Air, one of the leading players on the Eastern-European low-cost air travel market, says the company is in negotiations with several airports in Romania with a view to adding a third destination to its Romanian-based flight routes. Wizz Air currently operates 25 flights a week from airports in Targu-Mures and Bucharest.
“We are currently in negotiations with several Romanian airports and depending on the fees they charge, we will decide whether we will operate flights from any of these additional local airports,” stated Varadi. Wizz Air prefers smaller airports operating low flight charges, which may mean the airports of Sibiu, Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca could be potential targets for the low-cost airline.
In comparison, Blue Air, leader of the low-cost airline market, currently operates flights from four airports in the country – Arad, Bucharest, Bacau and Cluj-Napoca.
The chief executive of Wizz Air says it will open its first Romanian operating base in June. The company, which covets the leading position on the local market, is expecting a growth similar to the one witnessed in Poland, which is currently the most important market for the airline operator.
At present, according to information supplied by the company, Wizz Air holds around 27% of the overall domestic low-cost market. The low-cost airline is present in Poland holding a 35% market share, with three operating bases in Katowice International Airport, Frederic Chopin Airport, and Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport. In Hungary, Wizz air holds a 28% market share, whilst operating from the Budapest Ferihegy International Airport. On the Bulgarian low cost airline market, Wizz Air accounts for 32%.
“Accession into the European Union has created a favourable basis for the development of low-cost air travel. Romania has a high growth potential, and I believe it will follow Poland’s example of witnessing an upward trend, even though there is not a tradition of air travel in Romania,” states Jozsef Varadi.

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