Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. (Hungarian: Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Kft.), is a Hungarian low-cost airline with its head office in Budapest. The airline serves many cities across Europe and the Middle East. It has the largest fleet of any Hungarian airline, although it is not a flag carrier, and currently serves 42 countries. Its Jersey based parent company, Wizz Air Holdings Plc, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
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History
The airline was established in September 2003. The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm specializing in transportation investments. The first flight was made from Katowice International Airport on 19 May 2004. The airline's CEO is József Váradi, former CEO of Malév Hungarian Airlines. The company is registered in Pest County (Hungary).
On 25 February 2015 Wizz Air started trading on London Stock Exchange.
In November 2017 Wizz Announced that they are planning to launch a British division called Wizz Air UK. The airline is to be based at London Luton, taking advantage of a number of take-off and landing slots acquired from Monarch Airlines when the latter entered administration in 2017. The airline has applied to the CAA for an AOC and Operating Licence. It is expected that the airline will launch operations in March 2018 using British registered aircraft. Wizz Air UK will start to take over the flights to the UK that are currently operated by Wizz Air. Wizz Air said that the airline will employ up to 100 staff by the end of 2018.
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Corporate affairs
Head office
The current Head office can be found in Laurus offices, Budapest since March 2016. The new building has 5 floors, which gives the company more space than any of the former headquarters. Previously, its head office was at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport.
Operations
Wizz Air prefers to land at smaller or secondary airports to reduce costs and fees. The airline also has a buy on board service called Wizz Café and a shopping service called Wizz Boutique.
Financial performance
While attempting to hasten SkyEurope's demise in June 2009, Wizz Air claimed it had been "profitable for several years". However, as a private company it was not required to publish its financial accounts - annual reports are still available. In November 2009, it emerged that Wizz Air was significantly loss-making and had never made a profit while delaying the pay-back of EUR32 million of debt by five years. Losses since commencing operations total EUR78 million, which, in 2009, fueled suggestions that the airline would file for bankruptcy. Since then Wizz Air reported profits in 2012, in 2013, in 2014 and in 2015. Wizz Air has the second lowest CASK (cost per available seat km) among European airlines.
Destinations
Wizz Air started new services between Katowice and London Gatwick in 2008. In January 2008, flights started from Gdansk to Gothenburg, Bournemouth and Coventry. In summer 2008, Wizz Air restarted summer seasonal services from Katowice and Budapest to Girona, as well as a new weekly service to Girona from Gda?sk. Other summer services from Budapest are Heraklion, Corfu, Burgas and Varna; from Katowice to Crete-Heraklion and Burgas; and Warsaw to Corfu and Burgas. It also restarted its three-times-weekly service from London Luton Airport to Burgas. On 2 October 2008, Wizz Air announced that a number of its Romanian services would have increased frequency following an order for three Airbus A320 aircraft.
In February 2012, Wizz Air announced that it would start flights from Debrecen International Airport to London, beginning 18 June 2012. On 11 September 2012, Wizz Air announced new routes to and from Tel Aviv, Israel.
On 11 April 2013 Wizz Air announced that it would start flights from Budapest Airport to Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport starting from 17 June 2013. On 26 June 2013, Wizz Air announced entry into the Slovakian market, adding one new route from Ko?ice International Airport starting from September 2013.
On 26 June 2015 the airline opened its 19th base, at Tuzla International Airport in Bosnia and Herzegovina and deployed one new Airbus A320 aircraft at the airport. With one aircraft stationed at the airport, Wizz Air opened new routes to Memmingen (near Munich) and Torp (near Oslo), commencing on 26 June 2015, as well as to Hahn (near Frankfurt) and Skavsta (near Stockholm), commencing on 28 June 2015.
In February 2016 Wizz Air announced a new base at David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport (serving Kutaisi in Georgia). In October 2016 Wizz Air announced a new base at Chi?in?u International Airport (serving Chi?in?u) in Moldova. In December 2016 Wizz Air announced a new base in Varna, Bulgaria.
In February 2017 Wizz Air announced a new base at London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom. Also in 2017, the company added three new routes, to Tel Aviv, Israel, Pristina in Kosovo, and Kutaisi in Georgia, for a total of over 500 routes.
In January 2018 Wizz Air announced a new base at Vienna International Airport in Austria. Three Airbus 320/321 are planned to be based in Vienna and the company will operate a total of 17 new routes from the Austrian capital.
Fleet
As of October 2017, the Wizz Air fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Former operations
Former operations include the following:
- Wizz Air Ukraine was the Ukrainian division of Wizz Air, which had its own air operator's certificate and operated from Kyiv Zhuliany International Airport and Lviv International Airport. As result of the 2014 situation in Ukraine, Wizz Air Ukraine was terminated on 20 April 2015. Some routes to and from Kyiv were taken over by Wizz Air itself while all others ceased.
- Wizz Air Bulgaria was Wizz Air's Bulgarian subsidiary based at Sofia Airport. It has since ceased operations.
- Wizz Air Romania was a planned subsidiary to be based at Timi?oara Traian Vuia International Airport. However, this sub-company never started operations and a base was established there instead.
Accidents and incidents
- On 8 June 2013, Wizz Air Flight 3141, an Airbus A320-232 (registration HA-LWM) from Bucharest - Henri Coand? Airport, Romania to Rome-Ciampino, Italy, made an emergency landing 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 because of the longer runway, and firefighters applied foam after landing as a precautionary measure. The aircraft was evacuated using slides. 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.
See also
- Transport in Hungary
References
External links
Media related to Wizz Air at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in English)
Source of article : Wikipedia
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