Wizz Air

[Foxlimayankee]

Incidentally, here seems to be a typo in your table for 2014. BRS-EDI carried 322,760 passengers that year, not the 233,760 shown. That will also affect the percentage change for 2014.

Ah yes. I had spotted it but didn't change the screenshot of the updated figures!

It certainly isn't unachievable. If BRS-EDI was up to x4-5 daily with Flybe still around then there's potential to win some passengers back as I'm sure there were many that avoided flybe and used BRS due to price, which Wizz could compete on.
A good starting point would be x11 weekly, with double daily Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri.

 

[Jerry]

It does seem at the moment that if routes like Edinburgh or Paris or Dublin are too return Wizz is the likeliest candidate as it doesn't seem like other airlines are interested. Even with the APD reduction would Ryanair be bothered with UK domestic routes? Loganair and Eastern seemingly have other priorities.

 

[geoff]

Perhaps passengers who fly from BRS to Dublin, should ask Ryanair if they would re-instate the Dublin route from CWL at their time of booking, it might give FR some room for thought, especially if WIZZ were to enter the domestic market, or hint they may entertain the Dublin route themselves. It is a pity that they have not got any A319's, they would be better suited to CWL's shorter routes.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Looking at Foxlimayankee's figures in his table it's clear that by far the best period for CWL-EDI was between 2004 and 2009 when bmibaby operated the route at up to 3 x daily using B733/B735 aircraft. The annual numbers in that period were remarkably consistent: in the range 156,000-162,000. 2003, the first full calendar year of baby at CWL was good as well at 123,000 plus 8,800 rugby charter passengers with other airlines. 2010 was down a bit on the previous six years as baby began to run down at CWL and as an airline.

When Flybe and then CItyJet came onto the EDI route post-baby the passenger figures halved. However, Flybe's return in 2015 under the deal with the airport company saw passenger numbers begin to rise again - up to 110,000 in 2019.

I've looked at the EDI market from Severnside between 2003 and 2019 and I show below CWL's percentage share each year:

2003 28.8
2004 31.7
2005 32.6
2006 32.9
2007 37.8
2008 39.3
2009 40.6
2010 32.9
2011 22.3
2012 20.8
2013 20.7
2014 15.1
2015 16.4
2016 19.8
2017 20.1
2018 20.3
2019 21.8

Commentary

The second half of 2007, 2008 and 2009 saw flights and seats at CWL and BRS very roughly at parity on the EDI services. BACon had left BRS in mid-2007 including EDI against easyJet, and baby was then solely up against easyJet with both operating up to 3 x daily albeit easyJet had the slightly larger A319s against baby's B735/733 aircraft, and the former probably operated more days at 3 x daily (I've mislaid all my bmibaby CWL information from 2005 onwards). It would be a few years before easyJet substantially increased its BRS frequency and size of aircraft on the EDi route.

Based on past evidence with a low-cost airline at CWL on the EDI route there seems no reason to suppose that another would not find a market as well. Wizz's aircraft are larger than baby's but if the timings, frequency and fares were right, especially if APD was reduced, it looks a strong possibility at the very least. CWL would obviously have all these figures that it could pitch to Wizz.

Incidentally, bmibaby didn't find GLA anywhere near as prolific as EDI in terms of passenger numbers. In July 2003 baby switched their CWL service to Prestwick and the following year turned it over to Air Wales to operate for them (still to Prestwick) along with a number of other routes. Nevertheless, if Wizz could make a success of EDi they might then have a look at GLA.

 

[Jerry]

Some of the winners from the Wizz photo competition from the flyover the other week.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1372175679870140420

 

[Jerry]

Incidentally, bmibaby didn't find GLA anywhere near as prolific as EDI in terms of passenger numbers.

Flybe didn't seem to settle with GLA as well. It seemed to operate more as a filler route than anything. I think Glasgow just doesn't have the tourism draw that Edinburgh has.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Flybe didn't seem to settle with GLA as well. It seemed to operate more as a filler route than anything. I think Glasgow just doesn't have the tourism draw that Edinburgh has.

Glasgow is a larger city than Edinburgh of course and was once widely thought of as 'the Second City of the Empire'. My wife and I love Scotland and have lost count of the number of times we have visited....at least 30. We've travelled the length and breadth of the country including most of the islands. There was a time when we flew regularly to both Glasgow and Edinburgh from Bristol on day trips but that meant getting up at stupid o'clock and even the lure of Scotland can no longer encourage us to do that.

If pushed we prefer Glasgow to Edinburgh. They are both fine cities but there is something about the ambience of Glasgow that particularly appeals. It has many impressive buildings, often a legacy of its prosperous Victorian past (cheek by jowl with abject poverty), and its bustle has more to do with its own people rather than the mass of tourists who invade Edinburgh, not that Glasgow doesn't get its share.

I'm not sure why Glasgow hasn't replicated Edinburgh's popularity from CWL. There have invariably been fewer flights than to Scotland's capital city with sometimes quite a disproportionate contrast. This thread has highlighted the CWL/BRS market to EDI which, although smaller at CWL for perhaps the reasons we've been chewing over recently, is still substantial when given the opportunity.

BRS typically sees around three-quarters of its EDI passenger numbers on its GLA route. In fact, there is a broad correlation with the number of flights: on the days when EDI has 5 GLA usually has 4; when EDI is 4 GLA is 3. If Wizz did take on EDI it would be fascinating to see whether in time it also tried GLA and whether it could generate the sort of market that bmibaby did not on the route.

 

[geoff]

Going back to the70's when Dan Air used their 748 budgies from CWL, they used route to Glasgow, via Leeds or Newcastle, I am not sure if they had a route to EDI then, this old age is catching up.

 

[Jerry]

It does seem strange that Glasgow doesn't really seem to be as strong as Edinburgh from Cardiff.

 

[Nethercote2019]

Many cities are like that with higher demand to smaller cities .... ie Germany the Capital Bonn or Berlin is less than Munich etc....

 

[jon01]

A320 G-WUKD in from Stansted 16:30 19 Mar for storage/maintenance

 

[Jerry]

So that would mean 5 Wizz aircraft stored then? Not too bad.

 

[Jerry]

"Ken Skates, minister for economy, transport and North Wales, said: “It was great to meet the airline and discuss the future opportunities for Wizz Air to further expand its operations within Wales which will create jobs and benefit the economy." "

Wizz Air set for Cardiff take-off as travel ban extension looms

t.co

 

[Jerry]

Apparently another Wizz A320 will arrive this evening from Stansted for storage. That'll be 6 aircraft stored.

 

[Severn]

Apparently another Wizz A320 will arrive this evening from Stansted for storage. That'll be 6 aircraft stored.

Correct, Wizz Air UK A320 (G-WUKO) is due in from STN this evening.

The Wizz Air UK Fleet is currently made up of 3x A320, 7x A321 and 3x A21N.

Only 3x aircraft are currently operational and have flown commercial flights over the past week; all are based at LTN.

------------
LTN (5)
Operational

A320 (1) - G-WUKF​

A21N (2) - G-WUKM/KN​

Stored

A321 (1) - G-WUKG​

A21N (1) - G-WUKP​

CWL (6)
Stored

A320 (2) - G-WUKD/KE​

A321 (4) - G-WUKC/KI/KJ/KL​

DSA (1)
Stored

A321 (1) - G-WUKH​

LGW (1)
Stored

A321 (1) - G-WUKK​

 

[Jerry]

With summer travel currently uncertain i was wondering if we could see more emphasis on the winter and with recent talk on here of domestic routes if we could see a 2nd based aircraft from Wizz. So i thought i'd put up potential routes and schedule (not put times in though) for an potential 2nd based aircraft alongside the current based aircraft. I've assumed that the 2nd would be an A320.​

As suggested by Foxlimayankee in a previous post i've put Edinburgh 11 weekly double daily Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri. Dublin 7 weekly (daily). Paris 3 weekly Tues, Thurs and Sun. Malaga 2 weekly Wed and Sat as it looks like VY have dropped it. Malta 2 weekly Mon and Fri. Geneva 1 weekly Sat.

Monday
A321
Lanzarote
Tenerife
A320
Edinburgh
Dublin
Malta
Edinburgh
Tuesday
A321
Faro
Sharm el Sheikh
A320
Edinburgh
Dublin
Paris
Edinburgh
Wednesday
A321
Lanzarote
Tenerife
A320
Edinburgh
Malaga
Dublin
Thursday
A321
Alicante
Larnaca
A320
Edinburgh
Dublin
Paris
Edinburgh
Friday
A321
Lanzarote
Tenerife
A320
Edinburgh
Malta
Edinburgh
Dublin
Saturday
A321
Faro
Sharm el Sheikh
A320
Edinburgh
Geneva
Malaga
Dublin
Sunday
A321
Alicante
Larnaca
A320
Edinburgh
Paris
Dublin

 

[Jerry]

Great overhead shot of the aircraft parked at Cardiff

https://twitter.com/x/status/1379875364869173251

 

[Jerry]

It looks like we won't be seeing Wizz starting until the 17th June

 

[Jerry]

Wizz have started to load up Summer 2022. So far only difference to this summer seems to be Corfu and Heraklion starting on the 14th and 13th June respectively. Nothing onsale yet though.

 

[superking]

Looking at the photo a couple of posts back,its showing 6 Wizz aircraft,looking at SWAG site its saying there is 5. One aircraft has left storage by that.