Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) could start a joint venture in Uzbekistan, following discussions between transport minister Ilkhom Makhkamov and airline's chief executive József Váradi.
The two sides held talks about a possible venture in the Central Asian country and the introduction of new services between Uzbekistan and Europe. According to a press release from the Ministry of Transport on February 20, "transit flights" through Uzbekistan were also discussed, indicating the possibility of a base in the country.
During the meeting, Makhkamov floated the idea of a new service between Tashkent International and Budapest that could start by the end of 2025.
ch-aviation asked Wizz Air for further comment on the matter but did not immediately receive a response.
Subsidiary Wizz Air Abu Dhabi currently operates flights linking Abu Dhabi International with both Tashkent and Samarkand. During the meeting with the transport minister, Váradi reportedly expressed an interest in increasing the number of frequencies on existing routes to the Uzbek capital and introducing new services to Namangan and Urgench.
The low-cost carrier has limited presence in Central Asia and is currently maintaining flights from Abu Dhabi to Almaty International, Astana Nursultan Nazarbayev, Bishkek, Samarkand, Tashkent, and Turkistan. It lacks direct services between Europe and destinations in Central Asia, although it operated direct flights from Budapest to Astana prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides its Abu Dhabi joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, the LCC also mulled a similar undertaking in Saudi Arabia, but dropped the plan last year.
