Hungary’s Wizz Air is expanding service from Albania by allocating two additional aircraft to its base in Tirana (TIA) and launching flights to Kukës (KFZ).

The deployment of two Airbus A320neos in Tirana takes the number of aircraft stationed in the capital city to eight. The move will enable the airline to launch new routes to Friedrichshafen (FDH) in Germany and Rimini (RMI) in Italy.

In addition, the ULCC intends to begin serving Kukës International Airport Zayed-North Wings from early June. Wizz will connect the city with four destinations, flying to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (EAP), Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden (FKB), Memmingen (FMM) and Vienna (VIE).

Kukës International is located 3.5 km (2.2 mi) south of the city and has undergone a transformation in recent years to increase capacity. The revamped airport opened in July 2021 and is now capable of handling up to 500,000 passengers annually.

Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama changed the name of the airport last year to honour the United Arab Emirates’ Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who provided funding for its initial construction in 2003.

“The new Kukës Airport was planned to be a low-cost airport from the beginning, when this strategic investment was brought to life,” Rama said. “Therefore, Wizz Air starting to fly from Kukës to Austria, Switzerland and two destinations in Germany is a very important news for Albanians who want to travel low cost.”

Wizz’s new flights to Friedrichshafen and Rimini from Tirana will begin on April 15, operating twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Service from Kukës to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden begins on June 1, followed by EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg.

The remaining two routes to Memmingen and Vienna launch on June 4. All four routes from Kukës will be served twice a week.