Wizz Air opens Palermo base with two aircraft, announces third Airbus A321neo and six more routes

Wizz Air has officially opened its newest Italian base at Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport, launching operations with two based Airbus A321neo aircraft and announcing the arrival of a third aircraft just weeks later in response to stronger-than-expected demand.

The new base was inaugurated on 3 August during a ceremony attended by Palermo Mayor Roberto Lagalla, airport operator GESAP, airline executives and passengers departing on the Palermo–Turin service, which was chosen to symbolise Wizz Air’s growing commitment to domestic connectivity in Italy.

The airline said the Palermo market had exceeded expectations, prompting it to expand the base before it had even officially opened.

“Our response from the Palermo market has been so strong that it encouraged us to reinforce the base even before its official opening,” said Ian Malin, Wizz Air’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Third aircraft to expand network

A third Airbus A321neo will join the Palermo base on 6 September, increasing the number of permanently based aircraft to three and enabling the launch of six additional routes.

The expansion includes:

• Rome Fiumicino – three daily flights;
• Barcelona – four weekly flights;
• Prague – four weekly flights;
• Marrakech – three weekly flights;
• Dortmund – three weekly flights; and
• Pisa – ten weekly flights from late October.

These services complement the airline’s existing routes from Palermo to Milan Malpensa, Bologna, Venice, Turin, Tel Aviv, Sharm El Sheikh, Warsaw Modlin, Bratislava, Belgrade, Sofia and Skopje, with Tirana joining the network from 27 October.

By the end of 2026, Wizz Air expects to serve 18 routes to 13 countries from Palermo while offering more than 1.3 million seats, making it the airport’s second-largest airline with an estimated 16% market share. The carrier will also become the only airline serving Prague, Marrakech and Dortmund from Palermo.

Economic boost for Sicily

According to Wizz Air, the three-aircraft base will create around 120 direct jobs and support more than 1,050 indirect jobs across aviation, tourism, logistics and related industries.

GESAP Chief Executive Officer Gianfranco Battisti described the investment as a strategic milestone for both Palermo Airport and Sicily.

“The opening of Wizz Air’s new base represents an achievement of major strategic value for GESAP and for Sicily’s entire economic and tourism ecosystem,” he said.

Continued growth in Italy

The Palermo expansion forms part of Wizz Air’s wider growth strategy in Italy, where the airline has carried almost 140 million passengers since launching operations in 2004.

In 2026, Wizz Air operates 329 routes to 33 countries with 45 aircraft based across seven Italian bases: Catania, Milan Malpensa, Naples, Palermo, Rome Fiumicino, Turin and Venice.

During the 2026 summer season, the airline is offering 20.3 million seats in Italy, representing a 43.6% increase compared with summer 2025. Since the start of the year, Wizz Air has operated 66,000 flights to and from Italy, up 25% year-on-year, reflecting its continued investment in both domestic and international connectivity.