Wizz Air has announced that it will open its 28th base on in June this year, at London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom.

The eastern European carrier will base one new Airbus A320 aircraft at the airport.

London Luton has operated Wizz Air flights for over twelve years, but this will be the airline’s first UK airport with base operations.

Establishing this base will strengthen Wizz Air’s operational presence at London Luton Airport where it is already the second largest carrier, and increase the number of routes being served from the airport to 42.

The base establishment represents an investment in the airport and the local region by creating 36 direct jobs with the airline.

Operations will also contribute to the local economy, supporting jobs in the aviation, transportation, hospitality and tourism industries.

The three new Wizz services will connect London Luton with Tel Aviv in Israel, Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo and Kutaisi in Georgia, which is the only direct connection between Georgia and the UK.

Frequencies on some of Wizz’s most popular routes will also increase with the arrival of the new aircraft: Suceava will run five times per week, Constanta four times per week and Iasi flights will operate daily.

In 2016, as the second largest operator at London Luton, Wizz carried more than five million passengers.

József Váradi, chief executive, Wizz Air, said: “Today’s announcement once again underlines Wizz Air’s commitment to the UK.

“Our first Wizz Air flight from the UK took off from London Luton in 2004 and since then, we have carried over 35 million passengers on our low-fare UK routes.

“By establishing base operations at London Luton, where Wizz is already the second largest operator and an important supporter of local jobs with our business partners, we are also creating direct local jobs with one of Europe’s fastest-growing airlines for the first time.”