European low-cost airline Wizz Air has announced that it will be the first airline to offer a direct flight from London to Medina, Saudi Arabia.
The new route from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Medina Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport (MED) will start on August 1, 2025, the airline announced on February 25, 2025.
“We are delighted to announce this new route from London Gatwick to Medina. It is an important milestone for the airline, as we continue to widen our network from the UK beyond Europe,” said Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air in the UK.
The new route to Medina will be the second from the UK using the new longer-range Airbus A321XLR aircraft. In September 2024, the airline announced that it will launch its first daily flight to Jeddah (JED) in Saudi Arabia starting on March 31, 2025.
Wizz Air shared more exclusive details about its upcoming Airbus A321XLR fleet, with the first aircraft expected to arrive in late February 2025.
According to Wizz Air, the new route to Medina will bring hundreds of thousands of new visitors to the region each year. The airline plans to offer more than 174,000 seats per year to the Saudi city, a holy city which is popular for religious tourism.
Wizz Air said the new Airbus A321 XLR aircraft “supports Wizz Air’s continued growth” across the Middle East. The airline already runs nearly 100 routes across the region, including a base in Abu Dhabi.
Additionally, the airline said that adding Medina to its UK network supports the Saudi Vision 2030, a government program launched by Saudi Arabia which aims to boost diversification and economic transformation.
“This is an exciting announcement from Wizz Air and complements their route to Jeddah which commences next month,” Stephanie Wear, VP Aviation Development at London Gatwick added. “Medina will be a new route from London Gatwick, so it is great to be able to offer more choice to our passengers with a second destination in Saudi Arabia, particularly as Medina is considered the second of the three holiest cities in Islamic tradition.”
