Wizz Air
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
||
| Wizz Air | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA W6 |
ICAO WZZ |
Callsign WIZZAIR |
| Founded | 2003 | |
| Alliance | ELFAA | |
| Fleet size | 9(+4) | |
| Destinations | 32 | |
| Headquarters | Vecsés, Hungary | |
| Key people | József Váradi | |
| Website: http://www.wizzair.com | ||
Wizz Air is a Polish/Hungarian low-cost airline focusing on the markets of Central Europe. Its main bases are Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (Hungary) , Katowice International Airport (Poland), Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (Poland) and Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (Poland) with hub at Sofia Airport (Bulgaria).
Contents |
[edit] History
The airline was established in September 2003, founded by a team of six people. The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm specializing in transportation investments. The first flight took off on 19 May 2004 from Katowice*[1], 19 days after Poland and Hungary entered the European Union and the single European aviation market. The airline carried 250,000 passengers in its first three and a half months, almost 1.4 million passengers in the first year of operations and to date, 5 million passengers.
The airline's CEO and chairman is József Váradi, former CEO of Malév Hungarian Airlines. The company is registered in London with operating subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Wizz Air Bulgaria was established in September 2005 [1]. 2007, Wizz Air plan to establish a new operating base in Zagreb, Croatia.
Wizzair has been voted the best low-fare airline in Poland by the readers of pasazer.com, the largest travel news portal in Poland.
József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air won the Ernst & Young award of the 'Brave Innovator' in 2007. The price recognized the break through in the airline business in Hungary and the region, the revolutionary business model that changed the way people see flying in CEE today and the prudence and excellence of business conduct of Wizz Air.
[edit] Services
- Further information: Wizz Air destinations
Wizz Air recently announced the launch of new connections between Katowice and Gdansk in Poland to Cork in Ireland, Luebeck in Germany and Doncaster/Sheffield also Katowice to Bournemouth Airport in the UK. Summer destinations from Budapest include Rhodes, Corfu, Split, Burgas and Heraklion in Crete.
[edit] Fleet
As of August 2006 the Wizz Air fleet includes [2] :
- 9 Airbus A320-200 (plus 32 on order)
Eight aircraft operate under Wizz Air Hungary and one for Wizz Air Bulgaria. It has committed to one further Airbus A320 lease and has firm orders for 32 Airbus A320s. [3] The next 4 aircraft are due to be delivered May-July 2007. The airline intends to operate 25-30 aircraft in 3-5 years. The fleet is easily recognisable in airports due to its white, pink and purple colors. All its A320s are powered by IAE V2500 engines, even those to be leased from GECAS. The 99.5% technical dispatch reliability, which is well above the world average is ensured by Lufthansa Technik, the world's leading maintenance organization. [4]
[edit] Wizz Air Bulgaria
The Bulgarian division of Wizz Air has been awarded licences to begin new services to Germany, Greece, Turkey and Moldova. Wizz Air Bulgaria operates flights from Sofia to London and seasonal services from the United Kingdom to Bourgas. Established in September 2005, it plans to extend services to coincide with Bulgaria's entry into the European Union on 1 January 2007 [1].
[edit] Pricing
Wizz Air is a low-cost airline, passengers pay the fare plus taxes and charges which can include a fuel surcharge, insurance and facility charge, air duty charge, passenger service charge, and security tax. These additional taxes and charges can equate to as much as 55 euros one-way. There is an additional 3 euro charge per flight per passenger for ordering via the web using a credit card and a 5 euro charge per booking for ordering over the phone.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ a b Airliner World January 2007
- ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
- ^ Airbus orders
- ^ Wizz Air Sale and Lease Back with GECAS
|
Aviaexpress · Farnair Hungary · Malév · SkyEurope · Travel Service · Wizz Air |
|
|
Aerogryf · Air Polonia · Centralwings · Direct Fly · Eurolot · Fischer Air Polska · GetJet · LOT Polish Airlines · Primacharter · Silesian Air · White Eagle Aviation · Wizz Air |
|
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
| European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) |
|---|
| easyJet • Flybe • Myair • Norwegian Air Shuttle • Ryanair • SkyEurope • Sterling Airlines • Sverige Flyg • transavia.com • Wizz Air |
