Wizz Air axes all UK flights to ‘amazing gem’ European capital city

Wizz Air is axing all its flights to Vienna, in Austria, jeopardising Brits’ holidays to the European city.

The airline announced that it will stop flights on the routes from London Gatwick and Bilbao, in Northern Spain, on October 26, this year.

Dubbed an ‘amazing gem of a city’ on TripAdvisor, this will come as a blow to the Brits hoping to attend Vienna’s famous Christmas market which typically starts in mid-November.

Wizz Air will then withdraw its remaining services to the city from London Luton on March 15, 2026.

The airline currently offers two daily flights from London Gatwick to Vienna, which drops to one per day in the winter months. Passengers with existing bookings have been advised to contact Wizz Air and will be offered a credit refund or rebooked onto another service.

Why is Wizz Air axing flights to Vienna?

The airline’s Vienna base was established in 2018 but after seven years of operations, its become too expensive for the company to continue flying planes into the city airport.

‘Unfortunately, the airport cost base in Vienna, as well as taxes and ground handling services have risen significantly since our launch, making continued operations unsustainable,’ said Mauro Peneda, managing director of Wizz Air Malta.

‘This was a difficult, but necessary decision to safeguard the long-term competitiveness of our business. We will support our colleagues in Vienna with job opportunities across our ever-growing network.

We are grateful for their dedication and thank our passengers for their understanding.’

What if your flight to Vienna is affected?

If you’re flying to Vienna before October 26, then your trip will be unaffected, but Wizz Air have posted for guidance for those who were due to travel after this date.

In a statement, the airline say you will be contacted via the Wizz Air app or by email to discuss the next steps if your flight has been affected.

However, you will not be given a cash refund for your flight, with just one of two options available.

You can opt for a full refund in WIZZ credits, to book yourself a different flight to a different destination using the same airline. Or, you can ask to be rebooked on an alternative Wizz Air flight.

The airline also reminded passengers that it still operates flights to Budapest, a two-and-a-half hour train ride from Vienna, and to Bratislava which is just an hours drive to Austria’s capital.

Airlines that do still fly to Vienna include easyJet, Ryanair and British Airways, so you can still fly straight into the capital if you haven’t yet booked your travel.

Is Wizz Air a struggling airline?

Vienna isn’t the only route Wizz Air has cancelled, with flights to Budapest from Liverpool and Glasgow also getting the chop.

Liverpool to Budapest will cease service just two days before Vienna is withdrawn, on October 24, while the Glasgow to Budapest route will stop the day before, on October 25.

Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary hasn’t minced his words when it comes to the future of his competitor.

Speaking during Ryanair’s earnings call for the first quarter of the 2026 financial year, Michael said: ‘I don’t believe Wizz will be operating in Europe in the next three to five years as an independent carrier and certainly not if their strategy is to move into more competition with Ryanair.

‘I continue to believe that the consolidation process in Europe will ultimately see Wizz taken out by someone.’

A Wizz Air spokesperson responded: ‘Rather than speculate on the comments and actions of our competitors, Wizz is focused on connecting our passengers to and from central and eastern Europe where we see uncontested markets and economic prosperity driving disproportionately higher demand for air travel.’

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