“Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is operating a network of 34 destinations within a five-hour flight time radius of Abu Dhabi, providing ultra-low fares to a variety of diverse destinations. We support the UAE’s travel and tourism industry by enhancing connectivity both regionally and globally, in line with national regulations and policies.”

Daily flights to Russia

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s booking site shows the carrier will operate daily flights between the two airports under the same flight number that was used before the Ukraine war. Flight 5W 7111 will leave AUH at 14:05 local time for the six-hour journey to Moscow, and arrive into VKO at 19:00 local time. However, it is worth noting that the planned flight time has been extended by 20 minutes, possibly because of the need to take a slight detour to avoid flying over border regions of Russia and Ukraine.

Before the suspension, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi used its Airbus A321neo planes for this service. While the new schedule doesn’t mention the aircraft type, the ULCC will likely continue using the A321s as it doesn’t operate any other planes. Data from ch-aviation shows Wizz Air’s Emirati subsidiary having just four Airbus A321-200NX airframes in its fleet.

Not the only Emirati carrier to fly to Russia

While much of the Western world has imposed strict sanctions on Russian airlines, aircraft, and even people, many countries haven’t followed suit. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has three carriers currently offering nonstop flights to and from Russia; Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will soon become the fourth.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will be the fourth Emirati carrier to offer direct flights between Russia and the UAE. Photo: GCMaps

Etihad Airways operates a daily flight between AUH and Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) using the Boeing 787-10 aircraft. From its base in Abu Dhabi, Etihad operates a fleet of 102 aircraft, with 69 currently on active service. According to ch-aviation.com, the Airbus fleet comprises 18 A320-200s, nine A321-200s, three A330-200s, three A330-300s, five A350-1000s and ten A380-800s. From Boeing, it has ten B777-300ERs, 30 B787-9s, nine B787-10s and five B777-200Fs.

On the other hand, Emirates and flydubai both operate flights to Moscow Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov Airport (DME) from Dubai International Airport (DXB). Emirates flies its Airbus A380s to Moscow, while flydubai uses the Boeing 737.