Wizz Air has begun the biggest operational ramp-up in the company’s history.

Over the next 17 weeks a total of 21 aircraft will be allocated to its European bases, supporting 700 additional weekly departures.

The move means Wizz Air will operate more than 600 routes connecting 145 destinations across 44 countries.

By mid-July flights will begin from four brand new destinations – Athens, Tallinn, Kharkiv and Vienna, with the Austrian capital opening as Wizz Air’s latest European base.

This expansion represents an investment of more than $2 billion at 11 bases in the UK, Austria, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania and Georgia.

Wizz Air begins its 2018 expansion in Budapest this week, with the arrival of a new Airbus A320, which will be the 11th aircraft based in the Hungarian capital.

By September Wizz Air will have allocated an additional seven aircraft at its Luton base and will launch eight new routes to Larnaca, Tirana, Tallinn, Bratislava, Lviv, Athens, Keflavik and Bari.

Wizz Air remains committed to offering low fares and enhancing the passenger experience, in turn earning the trust and loyalty of customers who enjoy great value travel coupled with fantastic service onboard one of Europe’s youngest fleets.

Wizz Air is a significant contributor to the growth of local economies in the communities in which it operates, bringing not only direct employment at its bases but also stimulating the job market in aviation support services as well as in local tourism and hospitality industries.

Between March and July 2018, 700 aviation professionals of more than 15 nationalities will join the Wizz team, contributing to the growing success of the company.

Owain Jones, chief corporate officer at Wizz Air said: “Today we begin the greatest expansion phase in Wizz’s history to date.

“Wizz Air remains committed to its mission of making air travel affordable for more people than ever before, by offering the lowest prices made possible by its ULCC business model. 

“More and more customers choose to fly with Wizz Air every year, enjoying the connectivity of Wizz Air’s extensive network of more than 600 routes.”