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. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.^[7]

Wizz Air Hungary Ltd.

Wizz Air Airbus A321 at Hamburg Airport, 2022
IATA ICAO Call sign W6 WZZ WIZZ AIR
Founded	September 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09)
Commenced operations	19 May 2004; 21 years ago (2004-05-19)
AOC #	EASA.AOC.001
Parent company	Wizz Air Holdings plc
Headquarters	Budapest, Hungary

Wizz Air Holdings Plc.

Operating bases	List of bases[1] Belgrade Bucharest–Otopeni Budapest Catania Chișinău Cluj-Napoca Craiova Gdańsk Iași Katowice Kraków Kutaisi Larnaca London–Gatwick London–Luton Milan–Malpensa Naples Rome–Fiumicino Sibiu Skopje Sofia Timișoara Tirana Varna Venice Vienna Vilnius Warsaw–Chopin Wrocław Yerevan
Frequent-flyer program	Wizz All You Can Fly Wizz Discount Club Wizz Privilege Pass Wizz MultiPass
Subsidiaries	Wizz Air Hungary Wizz Air Abu Dhabi Wizz Air Malta Wizz Air UK
Fleet size	227[2]
Destinations	200 (August 2024)[3]
Traded as	LSE: WIZZ FTSE 250 component
Headquarters	Saint Helier, Jersey
Key people	William A. Franke (Chairman) József Váradi (CEO)[4]
Revenue	€5,267.6 million (2025)[5]
Operating income	€167.5 million (2025)[5]
Net income	€213.9 million (2025)[5]
Employees	c. 8,000 (2024)[6]
Website	wizzair.com

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

Former Wizz Air logo

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

Business trends

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

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	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]
2025	5,267	213	8,816	63.4	91.2	200	55	231	52.2	[56]

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.^[57] Flights are operated from Abu Dhabi International Airport to destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa.^[58]
• 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.^[59]
• Wizz Air Malta was founded in 2022 and operated its first flight on 27 September 2022 from Rome Fiumicino to Malta International Airport.^[60]

Former subsidiaries

• Wizz Air Bulgaria^[61] 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.^[61]
• 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.^[62] As of October 2016, it operated flights to 13 cities in 7 countries from Kyiv.^[63]

Destinations

Main article: List of Wizz Air destinations

Countries served by Wizz Air as of April 2025^[64][65]

These notable executions occurred regarding destinations:

Year	Destination	Notability	Refs
2004		Maiden flight from the first base in Katowice Airport to London Luton Airport	[66]
	Budapest	Establishment of second base	[66]
2008	Ukraine	Start of domestic operations in a country outside of the European Union	[67]
2011	Belgrade	New base outside of the European Union	[68]
2012	Kutaisi	Airline's first route to the South Caucasus	[69]
	Skopje	New base outside of the European Union	[70]
	Tel Aviv	Airline's first route to the Middle East	[71]
2013	Dubai	Airline's first route to the Arabian Peninsula	[72]
2014	Hurghada	Airline's first route to North Africa	[73]
2015	Tuzla	New base outside of the European Union	[74]
2016	Chișinău	New base outside of the European Union	[75]
	Kutaisi	Airline's first base in the South Caucasus	[76]
2017	Astana	Airline's first route to Central Asia	[77]
	London Luton	New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe	[78]
2018	Vienna	New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe	[79]
2020	Larnaca	New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe	[80]
	London Gatwick	New base outside of Central and Eastern Europe	[81]
	Milan Malpensa	New base in a country outside of Central and Eastern Europe	[82]
	Tirana	New base outside of the European Union	[83]
2021	Abu Dhabi	Airline's first base on the Arabian Peninsula	[84]
	Dortmund	Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for a year	[85]
	Norway	Termination of all its domestic routes in a country outside of the European Union, after being operated for less than a year	[86]
2022	Doncaster	Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for less than two years	[87]
	Malé	Airline's first route to South Asia	[88]
	Sarajevo	Closure of a base outside of the European Union after having been operated for a year	[89][90]
2023	Cardiff	Closure of a base outside of Central and Eastern Europe after having been operated for less than a year	[91]
2025	Yerevan	New base outside of the European Union (Caucasus)	[92]

The longest routes by linear distance are:

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

Fleet

Wizz Air Airbus A321neo

Current fleet

As of April 2025^[update], 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]

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	1	46[105][108]	239[105]	Deliveries until 2029.[55][109]
Total	229	299

Historic fleet

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

• EasyJet
• Ryanair
• List of Wizz Air destinations