Wizz Air, which earlier this year received the unenviable title of ‘Worst Airline in Europe’ from consumer body Which? – has announced it’s launching long-haul flights.

The Hungary-based company will start flying from London Gatwick to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in March 2025 and will follow in June with a route from Milan to Abu Dhabi.

Known as a no-frills airline, with all add-ons costing customers extra, Wizz Air’s long-haul flights are likely to offer much the same experience as on shorter trips.

The company’s CEO, József Váradi,  is clearly aware of this, saying he hopes budget-savvy customers are willing to “suffer the pain” of the gruelling longer flights.

Váradi confirmed that, similarly to its short-haul services in Europe, Wizz Air’s flights to the Middle East will have only economy seats on board.

What will a long-haul flight with Wizz Air be like?

The seats will be in the same format as those on short-haul flights – and they certainly won’t recline or come with any luxurious features.

However, Váradi says he’s confident that passengers will be happy with the “ultra low-cost” experience – and he expects to launch further similar routes in the near future.

“Fifteen to 20 years ago I thought three hours would test passenger tolerance,” Váradi explained at a press conference. “[But] people vote with their wallets.”

The launch comes at the same time as the introduction of a new Airbus fleet capable of longer journeys.

The Airbus A321 XLR light-body aircraft allows Wizz Air to increase its maximum flight time from six hours to eight.

Fares will start from £134.99 (€160) for UK passengers for a one-way flight to Jeddah. On the way back, journeys will be slightly cheaper, owing to the UK’s air passenger duty charge. That figure is about half as much as a standard flight to the Saudi Arabian city, if booked today.

“I just think that economics are so crucial to people,” Váradi enthused. “When you take a light body aircraft of any kind, and you take economy versus what most people do, you sacrifice some level of comfort.

“You are not on a flatbed. You suffer the pain if you wish for the economic benefits that you are deriving from the transaction,” he added.

While it appears these long-haul flights are just the start of Váradi’s plans, he confirmed that the company has no intention of crossing the Atlantic to the US with its new aircraft.

Several airlines, including Ireland’s Aer Lingus, already fly transatlantic on slightly older Airbus A321LR single-aisle jets, but Váradi said that Wizz would simply be “buried” by competitors flying across the pond.

“We don’t want to be bullied in the ocean,” he said.

Is Wizz Air the right airline to take such a jump in aviation?

Wizz has been attempting to make strides in the industry recently, last month announcing an all-you-can-fly subscription – with no-frills, of course.

Despite these attempts to improve its reputation, the airline has been ranked Europe’s worst by Which? for two consecutive years.

In the last ranking, it received just one star for both seat comfort and cabin environment – and only two stars in every other category.

Which? found that some 44 per cent of passengers surveyed reported some sort of problem with their trip, including being split up from fellow travellers who didn’t pay for seat selection.

That’s likely to hit harder on an eight-hour flight, as opposed to a two-hour journey.

Wizz Air also recorded the worst punctuality for three consecutive years in an analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by PA News.

Are budget long-haul flights sustainable?

On top of that, there is sustainability to consider.

While Wizz was named the Most Sustainable Low-Cost Airline for the fourth consecutive year at the World Finance Sustainability Awards 2024, its new schemes could see it stand to lose this title.

Speaking to Euronews Travel after the launch of the subscription service in August, some environmentalists expressed their dismay over the “climate-wrecking”new scheme.

Campaign group Stay Grounded called for an urgent ban on frequent flyer programmes, the introduction of a frequent flying levy, and investment in grounded transport, “in order to avoid the worst of climate breakdown”.

Last year, UK non-profit the Travel Foundation said the global availability of long haul flights needs to be capped if we are to meet global climate goals.

Wizz remains confident that its new launches are a good thing – and not as damaging to the environment as opponents say.

“Wizz Air is proud to have the lowest carbon emissions intensity among our airline competitors,” a Wizz Air spokesperson told Euronews Travel in August.

The airline also added that it stands by its aim of reducing its CO2 emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 – compared to 2019 levels.

Norway is the latest country to gain visa-free access to China.

In June, Poland, Australia and New Zealand were also granted unrestricted entry to the country until the end of 2025.

Since the start of 2024, the scheme has been announced in stages, with 11 other European countries and Malaysia also gaining visa-free access. It aims to encourage more people to visit China for business and tourism, and promote exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreign nationals.

Citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland are among the European countries allowed to enter China without a visa until the end of next year. Polish citizens joined the list on 1 July.

It is not yet clear when the policy will be open to Norwegians.

The aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on the initial announcement made in November.

Visa-free entry will be granted for up to 15 days in the trial programme.

International travel to China is still bouncing back

China’s strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early last year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

China previously allowed citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore to enter without a visa but suspended that after the COVID-19 outbreak. It resumed visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore in July but has not done so for Japan.

In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, according to immigration statistics. That compares to 97.7 million for all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

The government has been seeking foreign investment to help boost a sluggish economy, and some businesspeople have been coming for trade fairs and meetings, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook. Foreign tourists are still a rare sight compared to before the pandemic.

How else is China simplifying travel for Europeans?

Last year saw a surge in interest in China as a tourist destination among Europeans.

Data from online travel agency Trip.com showed a 663 per cent increase in overall bookings from Europe to China compared to 2022, and an almost 29 per cent increase on 2019.

The United Kingdom and Germany were among the top 10 sources of inbound travellers to China globally, the data shows.

Shanghai remains the most popular destination among Europeans with its alluring blend of modernity and tradition, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Sanya, a beachside city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island, and Chengdu – the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province – are emerging destinations.

Beyond it’s new visa-free schemes, the country is further encouraging inbound tourism by promoting cultural and historical attractions in partnership with Trip.com. China is also enhancing tourism infrastructure by investing in technology, travel guides and e-payment systems.

The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will soon apply to visitors from from Europe, Australia, the US and Canada.

It requires tourists to gain permission to enter the country as part of plans to fully digitise its borders by 2025.

The Home Office began rolling out the scheme last November for nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It has now been announced when it will apply to other nationalities – including Europeans.

Here’s everything we know so far.

When will EU travellers need to apply for an ETA to visit the UK?

Visitors from Qatar were the first to be able to apply for the UK’s new ETA scheme, starting on 15 November 2023.

Visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan were the next group from February 2024.

Previously, nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could apply for a single-use Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) instead of a visa to enter the UK. This cost £30 (€34.30) and was valid for up to six months.

The ETA scheme has now entirely replaced the EVW scheme, offering a lower cost option with multi-entry validity, according to the UK government.

This week, the Home Office announced that the ETA will open up to all other nationalities, except Europeans, this November and be required for entry from 8 January 2025.

Europeans, meanwhile, will be required to have an ETA for travel from 2 April 2025, with applications opening up in March.

How do I apply for an ETA to enter the UK?

Once the scheme applies to your country, you will need to fill in an online application form that will grant you permission to enter the UK. Most visitors will be able to apply using a mobile app with a swift decision on their application, according to the government.

You’ll need a valid biometric passport from an eligible country, travel details, an email address and a credit or debit card. You will also have to answer a set of suitability questions.

Like the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) in the US, a small fee is attached to the application process. This will be set at £10 (€11.66).

Travellers are advised to apply at least few days before their planned journey and approval should be granted within 72 hours.

Will I need a visa to enter the UK?

The ETA isn’t a visa but it does grant permission to enter the country.

All visitors who currently don’t have to apply for a visa will need to get an ETA before they travel. This includes those who do not currently need to make any form of application to visit to the UK – meaning US, Canadian, Australian and European citizens will require an ETA even for short stays.

If you don’t apply before your trip, you could be fined. UK and Irish passport holders won’t need an ETA.

Travellers from countries that don’t have visa-free entry agreements with the UK will still have to apply for the correct visa and an ETA.

Your ETA will be valid for up to six months or two years with a valid UK visa. This means you won’t have to apply for new permission to travel if you visit the UK again within the valid time period.

Why is the UK introducing the ETA scheme?

The ETA is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders at UK airports by the end of 2025.

Some passengers may be able to enter the country without using an electronic passport gate or speaking to a Border Force officer. Instead, they will likely have to upload a photo of themselves and submit it to the Home Office before they travel.

The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”.

Facial recognition technology could be used to make these “contactless corridors” possible, British newspaper The Times reports. It would require international travellers to submit biographic and biometric details, like photos of their faces through the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme before they fly.