Wizz Air
Wizz Air Holdings Plc., stylized as W!ZZ, is a Hungarian ultra-low cost airline multinational group headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. The company includes subsidiaries Wizz Air Hungary, Wizz Air Malta, 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 Luton Airport and flies to 194 airports. 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.
History
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, until he was removed from office by the Medgyessy government in 2003. The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm specialising in transportation investments. The first flight was made from Katowice International Airport on 19 May 2004.On 25 February 2015, Wizz Air shares began trading on the London Stock Exchange.
In November 2017, Wizz Air announced its planned launch of a British division called Wizz Air UK, based at Luton Airport 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.
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 Wizz Air also condemned inefficient airlines such as Lufthansa that offered business class and used outdated technologies, which according to Wizz Air cause far more environmental damage.
Development since 2020
By early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Wizz Air to ground its fleet. One-fifth of the staff were dismissed when it became clear that air travel across the continent was shutting down. In April 2020, Wizz Air became Europe's largest low-cost airline with 78,000 passengers. 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. In July 2020, the airline announced that it would form a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company. In October 2020, Wizz took delivery of an A330-200F cargo aircraft, operating it on behalf of the Hungarian Government as 'Hungary Air Cargo'.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. In September 2021, rival low-cost carrier EasyJet claimed it had rejected a takeover offer from Wizz Air. 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.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, four Wizz Air aircraft were stranded in Ukraine, three in Kyiv, and one in Lviv. 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. 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. 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.
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. In 2024, Wizz Air had to ground hundred of planes after reported faults with Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engines. The chief executive said he expected the issue to affect the fleet for two years while the aircraft are inspected.
In August 2024, the company announced an "all you can fly" subscription, costing €499 per year. The annual subscription sold out within 24 hours. 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.
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. 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.
In September 2025, the company closed down the subsidiary Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, claiming it was caused by geopolitical turmoil, supply chain constraints, and regulatory barriers. Still the airline continues to operate flights between Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
In December 2025, it was announced that Wizz Air had acquired additional airport slots from TUI Airways at London Luton Airport, enabling the basing of a 15th aircraft and the launch of six new routes from summer 2026. The expansion included new services to destinations such as Alicante, Faro, Corfu, Lyon and Turin, as well as the first direct air connection between London and Yerevan.
In March 2026, Wizz Air's Vienna base will close. Around the same time, a new base is expected to open in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In early 2026, Wizz Air UK applied to the United States Department of Transportation for authority to operate transatlantic passenger flights between the United Kingdom and the United States. At the time of the application, no specific routes, destinations, or start dates were officially announced.
Corporate affairs
Business trends
The key trends for the Wizz Air Group are :| FY | Revenue | Net profit | Number of employees | Number of passengers | Passenger load factor | Number of served airports | Number of served countries | Fleet size | CO2/RPK | References |
| 2014 | 1,011 | 87.7 | 1,650 | 13.9 | 85.7 | 96 | 35 | 46 | ||
| 2015 | 1,227 | 183 | 2,040 | 16.5 | 86.7 | 110 | 38 | 55 | ||
| 2016 | 1,429 | 192 | 2,396 | 20.0 | 88.2 | 124 | 39 | 67 | ||
| 2017 | 1,571 | 225 | 3,033 | 23.8 | 90.1 | 141 | 42 | 79 | 61.5 | |
| 2018 | 1,948 | 275 | 3,686 | 29.6 | 91.3 | 135 | 44 | 93 | 59.9 | |
| 2019 | 2,327 | 123 | 4,261 | 34.6 | 93.6 | 146 | 44 | 112 | 58.5 | |
| 2020 | 2,761 | 281 | 4,440 | 40.0 | 93.5 | 155 | 45 | 121 | 57.2 | |
| 2021 | 739 | 3,960 | 10.2 | 64.0 | 167 | 48 | 137 | 77.3 | ||
| 2022 | 1,663 | 5,772 | 27.1 | 78.1 | 194 | 51 | 153 | 60.7 | ||
| 2023 | 3,896 | 7,389 | 51.0 | 87.8 | 194 | 54 | 179 | 53.8 | ||
| 2024 | 5,073 | 365 | 8,044 | 62.0 | 90.1 | 193 | 53 | 208 | 52.0 | |
| 2025 | 5,267 | 213 | 8,816 | 63.4 | 91.2 | 200 | 55 | 231 | 52.2 |
Subsidiaries
;Current subsidiaries- 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.
- Wizz Air Malta was founded in 2022 and operated its first flight on 27 September 2022 from Rome Fiumicino to Malta International Airport.
- Wizz Air Bulgaria 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.
- 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. As of October 2016, it operated flights to 13 cities in 7 countries from Kyiv.
- Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was founded on 12 December 2019 as Wizz Air's UAE subsidiary. The airline was a joint venture with state-owned Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, which owned 51 per cent. Flights were operated from Abu Dhabi International Airport to destinations in Europe, Asia and Africa. The company closed down the subsidiary on 1 September 2025.