Etihad and Air Arabia fill Abu Dhabi capacity gap as Wizz Air bows out
July 16, 2025
Etihad Airways and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi have moved quickly to strengthen their presence in the UAE capital following Wizz Air’s decision to cease operations in the Middle East this September.
Etihad is set to launch several new routes later this year, including destinations such as Medina and Baku, as part of its wider network growth strategy.
The airline has reported strong summer performance, with significant year-on-year growth in passenger numbers and high load factors.
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi is also scaling up, with a notable increase in fleet size.
The low-cost carrier recently added more Airbus A320s, with plans for further additions before the end of the year.
Its route network now spans over 30 destinations across the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, with new services launched to cities such as Yerevan, Almaty, and Sialkot.
Filling the gap left by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
Together, the two carriers are stepping into the space left by Wizz Air’s withdrawal.
Etihad announced seven new destinations:
- Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Baku, Azerbaijan
- Bucharest, Romania
- Medina, Saudi Arabia
- Tbilisi, Georgia
- Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Yerevan, Armenia
The flights will begin in March 2026, with Medina to start operating in November 2025. The additions bring Etihad’s total number of new destinations for 2025 to 27.
“Our goal is clear, we want to bring more people directly to Abu Dhabi,” says Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad’s CEO. “These new routes connect us to fast-growing, culturally rich regions and will help stimulate demand for tourism and trade in the UAE’s capital.”
Etihad has already celebrated inaugural flights to four new destinations this year – Prague, Warsaw, Sochi and Atlanta – and is set to add another 13 routes before the end of the year.
The announcement comes just days after Etihad unveiled three new seasonal summer destinations for 2026: Krakow in Poland, Salalah in Oman, and Kazan in Russia.
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi adds aircraft and new routes
Meanwhile, Air Arabia’s Abu Dhabi outfit has added two Airbus A320 aircraft, bringing its total fleet size to 12 aircraft
The carrier plans to add two more A320s before the end of the year, boosting total capacity by 40% in 2025.
“The addition of new aircraft and our strategic fleet expansion reflect our ongoing commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and expanding our network reach,” says Adel Al Ali, Group CEO at Air Arabia. “This growth supports the rising demand for air travel to and from Abu Dhabi.”
He added that the capacity increase for 2025 will bring value to the airline’s customers, while also supporting economic and tourism goals for the city.
Within the last six weeks, the low-cost carrier has announced new routes to Yerevan, Sialkot International Airport in Pakistan and Almaty.
Goodbye to Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
The flurry of new routes come after Wizz Air announced that it will cease its Abu Dhabi operations and exit its joint venture with ADQ, the UAE sovereign wealth fund.
The airline cited persistent geopolitical instability and operational challenges in the Middle East as reasons behind the closure.
It said the retreat from the Gulf would allow it to refocus on its core central and eastern European markets.
