Wizz Air to launch £134 flights to Saudi Arabia from London Gatwick Airport

jeddah sea with palm trees and white building
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


Wizz Air is launching the UK's first budget flight route to Saudi Arabia. Single fares will start from £134.99. The route from Gatwick Airport to Jeddah, a Red Sea city near Mecca, will launch on March 31 next year.

The A321XLR planes, of which Wizz Air has ordered 47, have a maximum range of 11 hours due to enhanced fuel capacity and burn up to 30 per cent less fuel per seat than previous generation aircraft, according to Airbus.

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Catamaran under wraps beneath palm tree and sandy leisure area with off-camera view of Red Sea.
You will be able to get to Jeddah from Heathrow or Gatwick Airports -Credit:Getty

Jozsef Varadi, Wizz Air chief executive, said: "The Airbus A321XLR is the most cost-efficient aircraft in its class. Its enhanced range capability allows Wizz Air to connect the farthest destinations in its network, while also providing opportunities for further expansion, connecting more cultures, economies and continents.

"We are excited to offer unbeatable fares to our customers on the new route from London Gatwick to Jeddah.

"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."

Meanwhile, British Airways will also be flying from London Heathrow to Jeddah from November 4.

Jeddah Old town in Saudi Arabia - stock photo
Wizz Air is launching the UK's first budget flight route to Saudi Arabia -Credit:Getty

Flights will last around seven hours on the Wizz Air route and will operate overnight on the outbound route from Gatwick, with seats that do not recline.

Mr Varadi said 15 years ago he thought three-hour flights on an ultra-low-cost airline would 'test passengers' tolerance' but found that people 'vote with their wallets'.

He added that people who travel in economy class 'sacrifice some level of comfort' for 'economic benefits', and Wizz Air's flights to Saudi Arabia are 'a hell of a deal'.

Wizz Air said the A321XLR's 'carbon intensity' is estimated to be 'at least 30 per cent less' than that of other aircraft.