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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Julie Delahaye

Wizz Air offers 100,000 free flights for Ukraine refugees fleeing from Russian invasion

Wizz Air is offering 100,000 free seats on its flights to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russia Ukraine war as Vladimir Putin's onslaught continues.

The airline is offering free seats on all continental Europe flights departing from Ukraine's border countries; Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

The company also said that it would be offering rescue fares for refugees who have "already started moving and may be stranded in other locations". This includes €29.99 fares on all other flights - the only exceptions for the UAE, Iceland and the Canaries where €69.99 rescue fares apply.

Flights will be available for travel throughout March, and passengers will be required to provide their Ukrainian passport/ID card number at time of booking and show their Ukrainian passport/ID card at time of check-in.

Ukrainian refugees can find and book the flights on the Wizz Air website here.

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The United Nations says more than 500,000 people have fled across the border since the invasion began.

József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air, said: "Our hearts are with the Ukrainian people during this crisis. We are committed to helping as many Ukrainian refugees as possible to get to a safe place, which is why we will be offering them 100,000 free seats from the border countries and special rescue fares on all other flights.

"We have already seen great humanitarian efforts on the ground by our people across the network, and as a company we wanted to play our part in these efforts. We would be happy to provide a safe and welcoming journey for these refugees."

The company says it has already added larger planes and extra flights from border countries to Europe to help support the movement of refugees as necessary.

Refugees arrive at the Polish-Ukranian border crossing (Bruno Thevenin/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock)

Ukraine's airspace has been closed as a result of the invasion, with airlines including Wizz Air and Ryanair suspending routes to the country.

Meanwhile, the UK has imposed sanctions on Russia which includes a ban on flights from the country's carrier Aeroflot. Russia retaliated with a ban on all UK flights in its airspace, with airlines such as British Airways subsequently suspending routes to Moscow.

The EU has since announced that, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian aircraft is banned from operating or entering EU airspace.

The UK Foreign Office warns: "If you are in Russia, you should be aware that it may not be possible to fly directly to the UK, or via EU countries, and should amend any travel plans accordingly. Check the latest information with your airline or travel provider."

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