Wizz Air Holdings plc is a Hungarian ultra low-cost carrier group registered in Jersey. The company includes the 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, 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.[4] The holding company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.[5]
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| Founded | September 2003 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 19 May 2004 | ||||||
| AOC # | EASA.AOC.001 | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Parent company | Wizz Air Holdings plc | ||||||
| Headquarters | Budapest, Hungary | ||||||
| Key people | Roland Tischner (Officer Wizz Air Hungary Operations)[1] | ||||||
| Operating bases | |
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| Frequent-flyer program |
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| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 206 (2024) |
| Destinations | 194 (April 2024)[2] |
| Traded as | |
| Key people |
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| Revenue |  €3,895.7 million (2023)[3] |
| Operating income |  €(466.8) million (2023)[3] |
| Net income | €(535.1) million (2023)[3] |
| Employees | c. 7,300 (2023)[4] |
| Website | www |
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
Foundation and expansion
Wizz Air Hungary was established in September 2003. The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm[6] specialising in transportation investments. The first flight was made from Katowice International Airport on 19 May 2004.[7]
On 25 February 2015, Wizz Air shares began trading on the London Stock Exchange.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10][11]
By early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Wizz Air to ground its fleet.[12] One-fifth of the staff were dismissed when it became clear that air travel across the continent was shutting down.[13]
In April 2020, Wizz Air became Europe's largest low-cost airline with 78,000 passengers.[14] By mid-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.[15]
In July 2020, the airline announced that it would form a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company.[16]
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'.[17]
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.[18]
In September 2021, rival low-cost carrier EasyJet claimed it had rejected a takeover offer from Wizz Air.[19]
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.[20]
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.[21][22]
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.[23]
2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine
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).[24][25]
Flying was curtailed for two weeks by the outbreak of war, but Wizz Air soon returned to normal operations with the exception of the Ukrainian and Russian markets, which remained suspended.[26]
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.[27][28]
Corporate affairs
Business trends
The key trends for the Wizz Air Group over recent years are (as of the financial year ending 31 March):
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue (€m) | 1,011 | 1,227 | 1,429 | 1,571 | 1,948 | 2,327 | 2,761 | 0,739 | 1,663 | 3,896 |
| Net profit (€m) | 87.7 | 183 | 192 | 225 | 275 | 123 | 281 | −576 | −642 | −535 |
| Number of employees | 1,650 | 2,040 | 2,396 | 3,033 | 3,686 | 4,261 | 4,440 | 3,960 | 5,772 | 7,389 |
| Number of passengers (m) | 13.9 | 16.5 | 20.0 | 23.8 | 29.6 | 34.6 | 40.0 | 10.2 | 27.1 | 51.0 |
| Load factor (%) | 85.7 | 86.7 | 88.2 | 90.1 | 91.3 | 93.6 | 93.5 | 64.0 | 78.1 | 87.8 |
| Number of served airports | 96 | 110 | 124 | 141 | 135 | 146 | 155 | 166 | 194 | 228 |
| Number of served countries | 35 | 38 | 39 | 42 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 44 | 50 | 56 |
| Fleet size | 46 | 55 | 67 | 79 | 93 | 112 | 121 | 137 | 153 | 179 |
| CO2/RPK (g) | 61.5 | 59.9 | 58.5 | 57.2 | 77.3 | 60.7 | 53.8 | |||
| References | [29][30] | [29] | [31] | [32] | [33] | [34] | [35] | [36] | [37] | [38] |
As of January 2024 the group expects a net profit of €350-400 million for the financial year 2024.[39]
Subsidiaries
- Current subsidiaries
- Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was founded on 12 December 2019 as Wizz Air's UAE subsidiary. The airline is a joint venture with state-owned Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, which owns 51 per cent.[40] Flights are operated from Abu Dhabi International Airport to destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa.[41]
- Wizz Air UK was founded on 18 October 2017 as Wizz Air's UK unit, following CAA approval the subsidiary commenced operations with 10 registered aircraft initially. The unit is currently operating flights from and to Luton on behalf of its Hungarian parent and has been set up to ensure Wizz Air retains full market access to the United Kingdom following Brexit.[42]
- Wizz Air Malta was founded in 2022 and operated its first flight on 27 September 2022 from Rome Fiumicino to Malta International Airport.[43]
- Former subsidiaries
- Wizz Air Bulgaria[44] 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.[44]
- 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.[45] As of October 2016, it operated flights to 13 cities in 7 countries from Kyiv.[46]
Destinations
These notable executions occurred regarding destinations:
| Year | Destination | Notability | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Ukraine | Start of domestic operations in a country outside of the European Union | [49] |
| 2011 | Belgrade | New base outside of the European Union | [50] |
| 2012 | Kutaisi | Airline's first route to the South Caucasus | [51] |
| Skopje | New base outside of the European Union | [52] | |
| Tel Aviv | Airline's first route to the Middle East | [53] | |
| 2013 | Dubai | Airline's first route to the Arabian Peninsula | [54] |
| 2014 | Hurghada | Airline's first route to North Africa | [55] |
| 2015 | Tuzla | New base outside of the European Union | [56] |
| 2016 | Chisinau | New base outside of the European Union | [57] |
| Kutaisi | Airline's first base in the South Caucasus | [58] | |
| 2017 | Astana | Airline's first route to Central Asia | [59] |
| London Luton | New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe | [60] | |
| 2018 | Vienna | New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe | [61] |
| 2020 | Larnaca | New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe | [62] |
| London Gatwick | New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe | [63] | |
| Milan Malpensa | New base in a country outside of Central and Eastern Europe | [64] | |
| Tirana | New base outside of the European Union | [65] | |
| 2021 | Abu Dhabi | New base outside of the European Union and Central and Eastern Europe | [66] |
| Dortmund | Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for a year | [67] | |
| Norway | Termination of all its domestic routes in a country outside of the European Union, after being operated for less than a year | [68] | |
| 2022 | Doncaster | Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for less than two years | [69] |
| Malé | Airline's first route to South Asia | [70] | |
| Sarajevo | Closure of a base outside of the European Union after having been operated for a year | [71][72] | |
| 2023 | Cardiff | Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for less than a year | [73] |
Fleet
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As of April 2024[update], Wizz Air and its subsidiaries operate the following aircraft:[75][76]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 40[75] | — | 180 | To be gradually replaced by Airbus A320neos. |
| 186 | ||||
| Airbus A320neo | 6[75] | 13[76] | 186[77] | All operated by Wizz Air Malta. |
| Airbus A321-200 | 41[75] | — | 230 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 118[75] | 270[76] | 239[78] | Largest operator.[76] Deliveries until 2029.[79] |
| Airbus A321XLR | — | 47[78][80] | 239[78] | Deliveries from 2024[81] to 2029. |
| Wizz Air cargo fleet | ||||
| Airbus A330-200F | 1[75] | — | Cargo | HA-LHU (owned by the Hungarian government) |
| Total | 206 | 330 | ||
Incidents
On 8 June 2013, Wizz Air Flight 3141, an Airbus A320-232 (registration HA-LWM) from Bucharest Henri Coandă Airport, Romania to Rome-Ciampino, Italy, made an emergency landing[82] at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport when the crew encountered problems lowering one of the main undercarriages 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 slides.[83] 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.[84]
See also
References
External links
Media related to Wizz Air at Wikimedia Commons
