Naples – With two weekly flights and fares starting from €24,99, the Hungarian low-cost airline is strengthening ties between Campania and southern Romania, opening new doors for tourists, commuters, and economic exchanges.
The Airbus A321neo promises efficiency and sustainability for a network that already serves 16 destinations from Naples. Naples – A newly inaugurated air bridge connects the beating heart of Campania to dynamic southern Romania: yesterday, Tuesday, October 28, Wizz Air launched the first direct flight between Naples Capodichino Airport and Craiova, a lively university city and economic hub of the Oltenia region.
The route, operating with two weekly frequencies (Tuesday and Saturday), is operated by the Airbus A321neo, the latest generation aircraft in the Wizz fleet, which reduces fuel consumption by 20% compared to its predecessors and cuts CO2 emissions, in line with the company's commitment to a "decarbonisation" of air transport.
Tickets are already on sale on wizzair.com and the official app, with promotional prices starting at just €24,99. This offer is aimed squarely at tourists seeking emerging destinations, commuters from the Romanian community in Italy—over 1,2 million residents, according to ISTAT estimates—and businessmen attracted by the industrial opportunities in Oltenia, a land of mining, agri-food, and innovative universities like the one in Craiova, with its 20 students.
"This is not just a new flight, but a concrete investment in the Campania region," said Salvatore Gabriele Imperiale, Wizz Air's corporate communications manager, during the inauguration event at Capodichino Airport. Imperiale emphasized how the route is part of the "Customer First Compass" strategic plan, a major €14 billion investment over the next three years to enhance the onboard experience, expand the network, and introduce innovative services.
"We want to make Central and Eastern Europe more accessible from Campania, encouraging tourism, cultural, and economic flows," he added, noting that the Naples base—with two stationed aircraft—is a cornerstone of the airline's Italian network.
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"The partnership with Wizz Air, active since 2021, is solid and sustainable: these A321neos not only reduce noise and environmental impact, but also contribute to traffic growth, with benefits for the local economy."
The numbers speak for themselves: in 2025, Wizz Air will have already operated over 2.800 flights from Naples, carrying nearly 600 passengers on a capacity of 880 seats, with a load factor approaching 91%. Reliability is at an all-time high: flight completion rate is 99,9%, punctuality is up 18,4% compared to 2024, and cancellations have plummeted by 80%.
A feat that projects the Hungarian low-cost airline to third place in Italy in terms of market share (9%), with 245 routes to 32 countries from 27 airports, including a fleet of 27 aircraft based in Italy.
This year, passenger bookings exceeded 17,1 million (+7% over the previous year), for a historic total of 120 million since entering the Italian market. With Craiova, Wizz Air brings its routes from Naples to 11 countries to 16: from Bratislava to Budapest, via Cluj-Napoca, Katowice, Sofia, Warsaw, Tirana, Timisoara, Sharm El Sheikh, Yerevan, Bucharest, Brasov, Chisinau, Tel Aviv, and Skopje. The last month has been a flash in the pan of inaugurations—Yerevan, Brasov, Chisinau, and Timisoara—which demonstrates the airline's acceleration in Southern Italy.
An expansion that continues: "We will continue to invest here, for connectivity that unites Italy with Eastern Europe," Imperiale concludes. In an airline industry still grappling with post-pandemic scars and green pressures, moves like this one by Wizz Air aren't just business: they're a sign of recovery for airports like Capodichino, which closed with 12,5 million passengers in 2024 and aims to exceed 13 million this year. For travelers, it means more choice and lower prices; for local economies, a wave of opportunity that reaches from Vesuvius to the Danube. Next stop? Who knows, but for now, Naples is flying to Craiova.
Comments (1)
It's interesting to see how Naples can be so well connected to Craiova. The flights are affordable, but I wonder if there are enough passengers to maintain these connections. Let's hope this new route works well.