Wizz Air

AIMS TO CONQUER THE SKIES

New routes are being added across Spain and Europe Smart new uniforms are part of the new look

In a decade so far affected by Covid, staffing and equipment issues, rising fuel costs and overall inflation, as well as mounting pressure on economical flying, Wizz Air has launched an ambitious programme of

expansion. WORDS MICHEL CRUZ PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WIZZ AIR

The rise of economybased airlines began in the 1990s, when deregulation and the ending of generous government support for national carriers opened up the market. The resulting flood of cheap flights to destinations across Europe and even beyond changed tourism, perhaps forever, but as we push further into the 2020s, that model seems to be under a great deal of strain. In fact, the era of ‘bus fare flying’ may be coming to an end. The reasons for this are many; just as the industry re-emerged from Covid travel restrictions on a path to rapid recovery from the pandemic’s lockdowns, it was hit by a spate of adverse factors, such as rising fuel and staffing costs, labour shortages, long waiting times for new equipment due to supply chain bottlenecks, rising environmental-focused regulation and overall inflation. Taken together, they are putting severe strain on ticket prices and profit margins alike. ›

Wizz Air’s commitment to sustainability has resulted in lowest in class emissions

Within this environment, it is hard to maintain the kind of fares that we have enjoyed for the past 25 years, and many in the air travel sector appear to be on the defensive rather than preparing for growth, but there is a significant exception to the rule that stands out within the current landscape. Not only is Wizz Air posting impressive results, but it is also embarking upon an expansion plan at the heart of which is an ever-widening range of destinations served.

PLANNING FOR GROWTH

Contrary to most airlines, Wizz Air prepared for growth during the Covid period, adding the new Airbus A321 Neo to its fleet and also investing in updated infrastructure and expanded capacity, as it added new routes and services in Austria, Germany, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and the Middle East. This growth also involves Spain, where Whizz Air has come to dominate air travel to most of Eastern Europe from hubs such as Málaga, Alicante and Madrid. New routes continue to be added as the Hungarian-based company grows in market share and importance. In this regard, the results speak for themselves, as Wizz Air figures have soared in most regards, with the number of passengers carried so far in 2022 over three times greater than the three million-mark posted in 2021. Not only did revenue grow by over 300 per cent, but it was also up 20 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. The driving force behind this growth is CEO, Jószef Váradi, whose belief in his company and the industry has seen Wizz Air expand its operating capacity by 30 per cent, where many airlines are struggling due to ›reduced capabilities.

The same cost rises affecting them also act as a challenge to further growth for Váradi’s airline, but the company is overcoming these thanks to the investments made and a momentum that has seen profitability rise within adverse conditions.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

“During the second quarter we focused on ramping up our network – restoring capacity in our core markets just below pre-pandemic levels. Around 30 per cent of our new capacity was deployed in markets where we expanded new operations during COVID-19,” said Váradi. “We’ve now adjusted our network in view of the industry supply chain disruptions, making tactical capacity reductions from June onwards to increase the agility of our operation and supply chain.”

Thanks to its attractive pricing and high levels of punctuality and service, Wizz Air enjoys among the highest occupation levels in the aviation industry, and this is driving an expansion of new routes and flight capacity across airports in the UK, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Italy, Spain and the Middle East, where the UAE market is well developed and Saudi Arabia represents an important new addition. The fleet is being added to by a new generation of ultraefficient Airbus A321 Neo jet airliners that reduce fuel consumption and score high in terms of lower environmental impact. Wizz Air also has one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world, with an average age per aeroplane of under five years. Sustainability features high on the agenda of the airline, not only for costsaving purposes, but also in order to stay comfortably ahead of environmental regulations.

Europe’s fastestgrowing airline has further growth in sight

Smart new uniforms are part of the new look

A GROWING COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Wizz Air has enjoyed a reputation as a leader in aviation sustainability for several years now, but in 2022 it was proclaimed the ‘Most Sustainable LowCost Airline’ as part of the World Finance Sustainability Awards. The company has not just committed itself to acquiring new high-efficiency passenger liners, but also commissions regular studies and reports on how to implement efficiencyenhancing measures that also reduce environmental impact.

Wizz Air’s Sustainable Procurement Policy is the product of such studies, as encapsulated in its annual sustainability report, and it is thanks to such initiatives and efforts that it is currently the airline with the lowest emissions per passenger kilometre. The introduction of partly sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has played a pivotal role in achieving this accolade, which measures in at just under 60 grams of CO2.

All of the above makes Wizz Air the most exciting airline in Europe right now, as it is not only the most sustainable low-cost airline but also the fastest-growing one, and in addition was named one of the world’s top-ten safest airway companies by airlineratings. com. The airline’s network of routes across Europe and Spain is expanding, and already includes regular flights from Málaga, Alicante, Madrid, Mallorca, Barcelona, Seville and also Gibraltar, giving Costa del Sol residents access to the world. e

i www.wizzair.com

A new series of A321

Neo airliners is being added to Wizz Air fleet