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Wizz Air

Low-cost airline of Hungary From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wizz Air

Wizz Air Holdings Plc., stylized as W!ZZ, is a Hungarian ultra low-cost carrier group headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. The company includes subsidiaries Wizz Air Hungary, Wizz Air Malta, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, and Wizz Air UK. The airlines serve numerous cities across Europe, as well as some destinations in North Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia. As of 2023, the airline group has its largest bases at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport, and London Luton Airport and flies to 194 airports.[6] Its parent company, Wizz Air Holdings plc, is registered in Jersey and listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.[7]

Quick Facts IATA, ICAO ...
Wizz Air Hungary Ltd.
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Wizz Air Airbus A321 at Hamburg Airport, 2022
IATA ICAO Call sign
W6 WZZ WIZZ AIR
FoundedSeptember 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09)
Commenced operations19 May 2004; 20 years ago (2004-05-19)
AOC #EASA.AOC.001
Parent companyWizz Air Holdings plc
HeadquartersBudapest, Hungary
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Quick Facts Operating bases, Frequent-flyer program ...
Wizz Air Holdings Plc.
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Operating bases
List of bases[1]
Frequent-flyer program
  • Wizz All You Can Fly
  • Wizz Discount Club
  • Wizz Privilege Pass
  • Wizz MultiPass
Subsidiaries
Fleet size227[2]
Destinations200 (August 2024)[3]
Traded as
HeadquartersSaint Helier, Jersey
Key peopleWilliam A. Franke (Chairman)
József Váradi (CEO)[4]
Revenue €5,073.1 million (2024)[5]
Operating income €437.9 million (2024)[5]
Net income €365.9 million (2024)[5]
Employeesc. 8,000 (2024)[6]
Websitewizzair.com
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The oldest airline of the group is Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. (Hungarian: Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) and has its head office in Budapest. Wizz Air Hungary has the largest fleet of any Hungarian airline.

History

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Former Wizz Air logo
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Wizz Air Airbus A320-200 wearing the company's former livery

Foundation and early years

Wizz Air Hungary was established in September 2003. The founder, József Váradi, was previously CEO of struggling Hungarian state-owned airline Malév Hungarian Airlines,[8][9] until he was removed from office by the Medgyessy government in 2003.[10] The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm[11] specialising in transportation investments. The first flight was made from Katowice International Airport on 19 May 2004.[12]

On 25 February 2015, Wizz Air shares began trading on the London Stock Exchange.[13]

In November 2017, Wizz Air announced its planned launch of a British division called Wizz Air UK, based at London Luton mainly to take advantage of landing slots acquired when Monarch Airlines entered administration that year. The airline applied successfully to the CAA for an AOC and a Type A Operating Licence. The airline launched operations in March 2018 using British registered aircraft. Wizz Air UK was to start taking over UK-bound flights previously operated by Wizz Air, and plans called for the airline to employ up to 100 staff by the end of 2018.[14]

In November 2019, Wizz Air dismissed concerns about its part in environmental damage raised by the "flight shame" movement, basing its response on the airline's per-passenger emission level. The company said it would reduce per capita emissions by an additional 30 percent by 2030. Wizz Air also condemned inefficient airlines such as Lufthansa that offered business class and used outdated technologies, which according to Wizz Air cause far more environmental damage.[15][16]

Development since 2020

By early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Wizz Air to ground its fleet.[17] One-fifth of the staff were dismissed when it became clear that air travel across the continent was shutting down.[18] In April 2020, Wizz Air became Europe's largest low-cost airline with 78,000 passengers.[19] By June, they had reached 40 percent of their previous year's normal weekly revenue, while the proportion of no-shows fell from 80 percent in April to 30 percent.[20] In July 2020, the airline announced that it would form a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company.[21] In October 2020, Wizz took delivery of an A330-200F cargo aircraft (HA-LHU, formerly Qatar Cargo), operating it on behalf of the Hungarian Government as 'Hungary Air Cargo'.[22]

In August 2021, company management announced that they plan to hire 4,600 new pilots by 2030, with the first part of their plan to train and hire nearly 500 pilots by the end of 2021.[23] In September 2021, rival low-cost carrier EasyJet claimed it had rejected a takeover offer from Wizz Air.[24] On 14 November 2021, on the first day of the Dubai Airshow, Wizz Air was one of four airlines that ordered additional A321neo jets. Wizz Air is due to receive a total of 75 A321neo and 27 A321XLRs, adding up to 102 new aircraft.[25]

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, four Wizz Air aircraft were stranded in Ukraine, three in Kyiv, and one in Lviv (the latter eventually being recovered and returned to service).[26][27] In March 2022, amid the invasion, Wizz Air provided 100,000 free airline tickets to refugees for short-distance flights from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.[28][29] In May 2022, Wizz Air said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment to collaborate on potential investment and operating models to boost the country's tourism industry and increase its connectivity.[30][31] On 8 June 2022, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus to work on the development of hydrogen-powered aircraft.[32]

In 2024 the company was named as the worst for flight delays in the United Kingdom for the third year in succession. On average flights departed over half an hour late.[33] In 2024, Wizz Air had to ground hundred of planes after reported faults with Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engines. The CEO said he expected the issue to affect the fleet for two years while the aircraft are inspected.[34] In September 2024, Wizz Air reported progress on the aircraft engine problems. The budget carrier had 41 aircraft grounded as of Sept. 30, six months earlier than it originally forecast.[35] The company now expects to have 40-45 planes idled at a time over the next 18 months, down from the previous expectation of 50.[36] In August 2024, the company announced an "all you can fly" subscription, costing €499 per year.[33] The annual subscription sold out within 24 hours.[37] Subscribers are charged an additional £8.90 per flight and have to pay extra for carry-on or checked luggage — only a small personal item is free.[38]

Corporate affairs

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The key trends for the Wizz Air Group are (as at 31 March each year):[39][40]

More information FY, Revenue (€m) ...
FY Revenue
(€m)		 Net profit
(€m)		 Number of
employees		 Number of
passengers
(m)		 Passenger
load factor
(%)		 Number
of served
airports		 Number
of served
countries		 Fleet size CO2/RPK[a]
(g)		 References
2014 1,011 87.7 1,650 13.9 85.7 96 35 46 [41][42]
2015 1,227 183 2,040 16.5 86.7 110 38 55 [41]
2016 1,429 192 2,396 20.0 88.2 124 39 67 [43]
2017 1,571 225 3,033 23.8 90.1 141 42 79 61.5 [44]
2018 1,948 275 3,686 29.6 91.3 135 44 93 59.9 [45]
2019 2,327 123 4,261 34.6 93.6 146 44 112 58.5 [46]
2020 2,761 281 4,440 40.0 93.5 155 45 121 57.2 [47]
2021 0,739 −576 3,960 10.2 64.0 167 48 137 77.3 [48][49]
2022 1,663 −642 5,772 27.1 78.1 194 51 153 60.7 [50][51]
2023 3,896 −535 7,389 51.0 87.8 194 54 179 53.8 [52][53]
2024 5,073 365 8,044 62.0 90.1 193 53 208 52.0 [54][55]
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Subsidiaries

Current subsidiaries
Former subsidiaries
  • Wizz Air Bulgaria[60] was Wizz Air's Bulgarian unit set-up in 2005 and based at Sofia Airport with a fleet of 3 aircraft. It ceased operations on 31 March 2011, all flights merged back into Wizz Air Hungary Ltd.[60]
  • Wizz Air Ukraine, founded in 2008, was the Ukrainian unit of Wizz Air, which had its own air operator's certificate and operated from Kyiv Zhuliany International Airport and Lviv International Airport with a fleet of 4 aircraft. As a result of the economic crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War, Wizz Air Ukraine was terminated on 19 April 2015. Some routes to and from Kyiv were taken over by Wizz Air Hungary Ltd, while all others ceased. The airline eventually began expanding once again in Ukraine.[61] As of October 2016, it operated flights to 13 cities in 7 countries from Kyiv.[62]

Destinations

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Main article: List of Wizz Air destinations
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Countries served by Wizz Air as of March 2025[63][64]

These notable executions occurred regarding destinations:

More information Year, Destination ...
Year Destination Notability Refs
2004 Maiden flight from the first base in Katowice Airport to London Luton Airport [65]
Budapest Establishment of second base [65]
2008 Ukraine Start of domestic operations in a country outside of the European Union [66]
2011 Belgrade New base outside of the European Union [67]
2012 Kutaisi Airline's first route to the South Caucasus [68]
Skopje New base outside of the European Union [69]
Tel Aviv Airline's first route to the Middle East [70]
2013 Dubai Airline's first route to the Arabian Peninsula [71]
2014 Hurghada Airline's first route to North Africa [72]
2015 Tuzla New base outside of the European Union [73]
2016 Chișinău New base outside of the European Union [74]
Kutaisi Airline's first base in the South Caucasus [75]
2017 Astana Airline's first route to Central Asia [76]
London Luton New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe [77]
2018 Vienna New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe [78]
2020 Larnaca New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe [79]
London Gatwick New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe [80]
Milan Malpensa New base in a country outside of Central and Eastern Europe [81]
Tirana New base outside of the European Union [82]
2021 Abu Dhabi Airline's first base on the Arabian Peninsula [83]
Dortmund Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for a year [84]
Norway Termination of all its domestic routes in a country outside of the European Union, after being operated for less than a year [85]
2022 Doncaster Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for less than two years [86]
Malé Airline's first route to South Asia [87]
Sarajevo Closure of a base outside of the European Union after having been operated for a year [88][89]
2023 Cardiff Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for less than a year [90]
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The longest routes by linear distance are:

More information Route, Linear distance ...
Route Linear distance Max. duration[b]
(hours)		 Operation References
Katowice – Abu Dhabi 2,269 nm 6:00 current [91][92]
Rome Fiumicino – Abu Dhabi 2,346 nm 7:05[93] until 14 January 2025 [94][95][96]
London-Gatwick – Medinah 2,428 nm 6:40 by A321XLR [97][98]
London-Gatwick – Jeddah 2,546 nm 7:00 by A321XLR [99][100]
Milan Malpensa – Abu Dhabi 2,548 nm 7:20 by A321XLR [101][102]
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Fleet

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Wizz Air Airbus A321neo

Current fleet

As of April 2025, Wizz Air and its subsidiaries Wizz Air Malta, Wizz Air UK and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi operate the following all-Airbus A320 family fleet:[103]

More information Aircraft, In service ...
Wizz Air fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A320-200 34 — 180
186
Airbus A320neo 6 13[103] 186[104]
Airbus A321-200 41 — 230
Airbus A321neo 148 239[103] 239[105] Largest operator.[106]
Deliveries until 2029.[107]
Airbus A321XLR — 47[105][108] 239[105] Deliveries until 2029.[55][109]
Total 229 299
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Historic fleet

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Wizz Air's former Airbus A330-200F, operated for Hungary Air Cargo

In December 2024, Wizz Air ended operations of their sole Airbus A330-200F which handled freight services on behalf of the Hungarian government since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.[110]


Incidents and accidents

  • On 8 June 2013, Wizz Air Flight 3141, an Airbus A320-232 (registered as HA-LWM) with 165 passengers and 5 crew members on board, from Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport, Romania to Rome-Ciampino, Italy, made an emergency landing[111] at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport when the crew encountered problems lowering the left main undercarriage and locking it into position. The aircraft diverted to Fiumicino for its longer runway, and firefighters applied foam after landing as a precautionary measure. The aircraft was evacuated using the emergency slides[112] and three occupants were injured.[113] Initial reports of injured passengers were denied by both Wizz Air and Rome Fiumicino Airport, who said some passengers requested medical checkups but reported no injuries.[114]

Notes

  1. CO2 per revenue passenger kilometer
  2. according to flight schedule

See also

References

External links

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