Wizz Air has confirmed it will open a new operational base at Turin Airport from September 2026, introducing seven new routes, deploying two Airbus A321neo aircraft and targeting around one million passengers annually as part of its expansion in Italy. The move will establish Turin as the airline’s seventh base in the country and its 40th across Europe, with the carrier also projecting the creation of 80 direct jobs and up to 700 indirect roles linked to the operation. The announcement comes amid sustained growth at the airport and increasing demand for low-cost travel, reported The WP Times, citing aviation and regional data.
The development follows a record period for Turin Airport, which exceeded five million passengers for the first time in 2025. In March 2026, the airport handled more than 500,000 passengers, marking its highest monthly total on record. Between January and March, traffic reached 1,426,300 passengers, representing a 15.6% increase compared with the same period in 2025 and significantly above the national average growth of 4.9%. According to the airline, the first aircraft will be stationed in Turin from September 2026, with a second joining in October. Initial routes to Barcelona, Bilbao and Rome Fiumicino are scheduled to launch on 14 September, while additional services will be introduced progressively through to December as capacity expands.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Base launch | September 2026 |
| Aircraft | 2 × Airbus A321neo |
| New routes | 7 |
| Total network from Turin | 16 routes to 8 countries |
| Annual passengers (forecast) | ~1 million |
| Seats offered | ~1.3 million |
| Direct jobs | 80 |
| Indirect jobs | up to 700 |
Flight frequencies will include daily services to Barcelona and Naples, up to 11 weekly flights to Rome Fiumicino, four weekly rotations to Madrid and Valencia, and three weekly services to Malaga and Bilbao. The Bilbao route will be operated from Turin for the first time, expanding the airport’s connectivity to northern Spain. Andrea Andorno, chief executive of SAGAT, said the initiative represents a significant step in the airport’s development trajectory. “This is a strategic step that promises to change the pace of Turin airport and will constitute an unprecedented element of growth in the future,” he said.
He added that the airport continues to invest approximately €10 million annually in infrastructure upgrades. “The airport is not yet saturated, but wants to be ready to welcome new initiatives such as those of Wizz Air and has the ambition of intercepting increasing shares of outgoing and incoming traffic in the North West area,” Andorno said.
Wizz Air stated it plans to operate a total of 16 routes from Turin to eight countries, offering nearly 1.3 million seats. The airline already maintains a presence at the airport, having operated more than 2,100 flights in 2025 and carried over 450,000 passengers on connections to destinations including Budapest, Sofia, Tirana, Chisinau and multiple Romanian cities. Additional routes from London Luton and Palermo are scheduled to begin in June 2026, ahead of the base opening, further strengthening the airline’s network from Turin.
The expansion forms part of Wizz Air’s broader strategy in Italy, which it identifies as a core market. The airline currently operates around 40 aircraft based in the country and carried approximately 21 million passengers on Italian routes in 2025. For 2026, it plans to offer up to 27 million seats across its Italian network. Across its wider European operations, Wizz Air expects total passenger numbers to reach 80 million in 2026, compared with 41 million in 2019, reflecting continued capacity growth and network expansion.
Turin Airport’s growth is taking place alongside increased activity from other low-cost carriers. Ryanair has also announced plans to base a third aircraft at the airport in the coming weeks, further expanding route availability and capacity from the region. The combined developments point to continued expansion in passenger volumes and route networks at Turin, with low-cost carriers driving traffic growth and increasing connectivity between northern Italy and key destinations across Europe.
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