On June 11th, Wizz Air UK operated a special flight for Welsh football fans wanting to attend UEFA Euro 2020 in Azerbaijan. The service took passengers from Cardiff (Wales) to Baku (Azerbaijan) on a unique flight that took nearly five and a half hours. While Baku won’t be a regular destination for Wizz Air UK anytime soon, the airline is looking to launch its new Cardiff base in less than a week.
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A week in Baku
Hosting three group games and one quarter-final at Baku Olympic Stadium, the capital of Azerbaijan, is one of 11 locations where UEFA Euro 2020 matches will be taking place. For Wales, Baku will be the site of two games – one today (June 12th) against Switzerland and another on June 16th against Turkey.
To allow loyal fans to attend the games, Wizz Air UK partnered with the team’s “Official Fan Travel Partner” Wonky Sheep Events. “[T]he itinerary was coordinated so that Welsh fans can make the most of the trip, enjoying the football as well as all that Azerbaijan’s capital city has to offer,” Wizz Air said in a statement.
The return flight is scheduled for June 17th and is set to offer “the full fan experience” with complimentary refreshments served onboard.
The flight out
The flight out took place on June 11th, departing Cardiff (CWL) at 08:24 local time. Taking on flight number W99001, the Airbus A321-200 flew for five hours and 15 minutes. It touched down in Baku (GYD) at 16:37 local time.
The service flew a fairly direct flight path, heading over continental Europe and the countries of Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Romania. After crossing the Black Sea, the aircraft overflew Georgia to finally arrive in Azerbaijan.
The A321, registered G-WUKC, is a three-year-old aircraft. The aircraft has flown exclusively with Wizz Air during its entire time in operational service and is configured with an all-economy layout of 230 seats.
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Wizz Air UK’s new base
While not explicitly stated, this special flight was likely a way to promote the airline’s upcoming launch of its new Cardiff base. Wizz Air UK announced that it would begin operations from this new base from June 17th, after the Welsh Government officially lifted its ban on international travel.
“As Wales’ new hometown airline, Wizz Air UK is looking forward to officially launching its new Cardiff base, so that those living in Wales can finally fly local to their favourite sunshine destinations.” -Wizz Air
The airline will initially operate flights to nine destinations from Cardiff, with an additional destination planned in the Fall. The destinations are as follows:
- Larnaca
- Corfu
- Heraklion
- Faro
- Alicante
- Lanzarote
- Palma de Mallorca
- Tenerife
- Jersey
Flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, originally set to launch in November, are now planned to start in October.
What do you think of this special service? Have you flown to Azerbaijan before? Let us know by leaving a comment.
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