Wizz Air launches Sofia-Hurghada and Varna-Basel routes and resumes Marrakesh flights

Wizz Air has launched direct flights from Sofia to Hurghada in Egypt and from Varna to Basel in Switzerland, the airline's press office said on Wednesday 28 October, BTA reported. The low-cost carrier also resumed flights between Sofia and Marrakesh in Morocco on 27 October.

The Sofia-Hurghada route operates three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Sofia-Marrakesh and Varna-Basel services each operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The new routes from Sofia and Varna are part of Wizz Air's network expansion in Bulgaria, its press service said. The airline has carried more than 4 million passengers to and from the country since the start of the year, according to the statement.

The three routes serve different markets. Hurghada and Marrakesh are winter sun destinations for Bulgarian travellers, at a time of year when demand for Bulgaria's own Black Sea coast is low. The Varna-Basel link connects the Black Sea city with northern Switzerland and gives Varna airport traffic outside the summer season.

For Bulgarian airports, routes that run through the winter help to spread traffic more evenly over the year. Varna and Burgas in particular depend heavily on summer charter and holiday flights, so year-round scheduled services are important for their finances and for local businesses that need connections outside the tourist season.

For travel agencies and tour operators, more direct flights to Egypt and Morocco widen the choice of short-haul packages that can be sold from Sofia in the colder months. The schedules announced so far run on fixed weekdays, which makes it easier to plan week-long trips.