Wizz Air is launching a new scheme this weekend that will provide 10,000 free tickets to Ukrainian refugees flying to the UK. In collaboration with the non-profit charities Choose Love, The Shapiro Foundation, The Steve Morgan Foundation, and USPUK, the initiative will transport Ukrainian refugees from nearby countries to the United Kingdom.
From May 14th to June 15th, up to 10,000 free tickets will be available on 61 routes to the United Kingdom as part of the combined campaign. Refugees will be allowed to carry one item of hand baggage and one item of checked luggage per person, totaling 32kg. Choose Love has developed an official website where contributors may contribute to trips over 10,000 mark.
Wizz Air's Chief Executive Officer, József Váradi, stated,
“We are pleased that Wizz Air is able to continue to support Ukrainian refugees as part of the UK Government’s ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme. We hope that this initiative will help many Ukrainians reach a safe place in the UK soon. We have already seen great humanitarian efforts on the ground by our people across the network, and following our 100,000 free tickets offer to Ukrainian refugees in March and April, we wanted to continue to play our part in these efforts.”
The initiative works hand in hand with the UK government's Homes for Ukraine visa programme, which allows Ukrainian refugees to relocate in the UK with their sponsors. Over 37,000 Ukrainians have already arrived in the UK as a result of the initiative, with 95,000 receiving visas.