Low-cost carrier Wizz Air UK removed two Airbus A321neos from its Vienna base at 03:00 on 26 October, the first step in a two-phase withdrawal that will culminate in a full base closure on 15 March 2026. The initial cut immediately suspended services to Bilbao and London-Gatwick and reduced seat capacity between Austria and the United Kingdom by roughly 30 percent.
Wizz Air blames Vienna’s airport charges, air-passenger tax and ground-handling fees for rendering the five-year-old base uneconomical. Although Flughafen Wien plans to reduce fees by up to 5 percent from 1 January 2026, the airline says the concession is “too little, too late.” Management is redeploying the aircraft to a newly announced base in Bratislava—just 70 km away—where operating costs are lower.
The pull-back leaves British Airways, Ryanair and Austrian Airlines to pick up stranded demand. Corporate travel managers in Vienna’s life-science and consulting clusters say they now face higher fares and thinner schedules for day-return trips to London. Travel-policy teams are re-authorising rail-and-fly routings via Munich and considering Bratislava departures, which add at least one hour of ground transfer.
Vienna Airport officials expressed disappointment but noted that Wizz Air had already trimmed its Austrian network from 28 routes in 2019 to 14 by summer 2025. Tourism agencies fear that Vienna’s winter markets will see fewer UK visitors, while Bratislava predicts a 50 percent traffic surge.
Passengers booked on cancelled flights can rebook or claim cash refunds, but many are receiving Wizz credits instead. Consumer advocates urge travellers to request written confirmation of cancellation to facilitate insurance claims and EC 261 compensation where applicable.
Wizz Air blames Vienna’s airport charges, air-passenger tax and ground-handling fees for rendering the five-year-old base uneconomical. Although Flughafen Wien plans to reduce fees by up to 5 percent from 1 January 2026, the airline says the concession is “too little, too late.” Management is redeploying the aircraft to a newly announced base in Bratislava—just 70 km away—where operating costs are lower.
The pull-back leaves British Airways, Ryanair and Austrian Airlines to pick up stranded demand. Corporate travel managers in Vienna’s life-science and consulting clusters say they now face higher fares and thinner schedules for day-return trips to London. Travel-policy teams are re-authorising rail-and-fly routings via Munich and considering Bratislava departures, which add at least one hour of ground transfer.
Vienna Airport officials expressed disappointment but noted that Wizz Air had already trimmed its Austrian network from 28 routes in 2019 to 14 by summer 2025. Tourism agencies fear that Vienna’s winter markets will see fewer UK visitors, while Bratislava predicts a 50 percent traffic surge.
Passengers booked on cancelled flights can rebook or claim cash refunds, but many are receiving Wizz credits instead. Consumer advocates urge travellers to request written confirmation of cancellation to facilitate insurance claims and EC 261 compensation where applicable.
