Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton) has announced it will enter the British domestic market on July 9, launching flights to Jersey from Doncaster/Sheffield and Cardiff.
Both routes will be operated 2x weekly, on Mondays and Fridays, as they are tailored primarily for leisure passengers. The low-cost carrier stressed that by launching domestic leisure routes, it is seeking to protect passengers from the ongoing uncertainty related to international travel.
"The Wizz Air UK team is working hard to ensure that summer 2021 is not cancelled, by continuing to provide low-fare flights to the destinations that our UK customers love to travel to. After an extremely challenging year we know that our customers are looking to get away for some sunshine and relaxation," Managing Director Owain Jones said.
Wizz Air UK opened a base at Doncaster/Sheffield airport in November 2020; its second in the country after London Luton. The base in Cardiff, Wales's only large commercial airport, will open on June 19, 2021. Wizz Air UK also has a base at London Gatwick airport.
The airline did not disclose which aircraft type it would use on its Jersey services. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Wizz Air UK currently operates three A320-200s, seven A321-200s, and four A321-200NXs.
Following Wizz Air's exit from the Norwegian domestic market, the only domestic routes the LCC operates are in Italy. Neither Wizz Air UK nor Wizz Air serves Jersey at this moment.
Strictly speaking, services between the United Kingdom and Jersey are not entirely domestic. Jersey, one of the Channel Islands between Great Britain and France, is a British crown dependency but not a part of the United Kingdom. The self-governing entity is, in practice, in a personal union with the British monarchy. The UK provides its defence but otherwise, Jersey is largely independent of UK politics and law.
