Etihad Picks Up the Pieces as Wizz Air Exits Abu Dhabi

Etihad is cherry-picking the tastiest destinations left by Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. It’s a win-win for an airline with a mandate to put – and keep – the UAE capital on the map.

Etihad Airways is stepping in to fill part of the gap left by the collapse of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. On Monday, the European ultra low-cost carrier said it would end its UAE joint venture and suspend all services from September 1.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi had scheduled around 1,300 flights per month, offering more than 300,000 seats, according to Cirium Diio data analyzed by Skift. Etihad will absorb some of that capacity, but not right away.

On Tuesday, the UAE flag carrier