Wizz Air
Encyclopedia
Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Kft. is a Hungarian
low-cost airline
with headquarters in the Airport Business Park C2 in Vecsés
, close to Budapest Ferihegy International Airport
, Hungary. The airline typically uses secondary airports serving many cities across Europe.
, 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, 10 million passengers. In 2007 Wizz Air carried 2.9 million passengers on its Polish routes.
The airline's CEO and chairman is József Váradi, former CEO
of Malév Hungarian Airlines
. The company is registered in Pest County (Hungary) with operating subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Wizz Air Bulgaria was established in September 2005.
József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air, won the Ernst & Young
award of the 'Brave Innovator' in 2007. The prize recognised the break through in the airline business in Hungary and the region, the business model and the business conduct of Wizz Air.
In summer 2008 Wizz Air became the first low cost carrier in Ukraine
.
's demise in June 2009, Wizz Air claimed it had been "profitable for several years". However, as a private company it is not required to publish its financial accounts. In November 2009, it emerged Wizz Air is significantly loss-making and has never made a profit while delaying the pay-back of €32 million of debt by five years. Losses since commencing operations total €78 million, which has fueled suggestions that the airline may file for bankruptcy.
According to Hungarian weekly magazine Figyelő
, Wizz Air ranks 42nd company in Hungary in terms of revenues in 2010. Wizz Air posted sales of HUF
165 billion in 2010, which is an increase of 22% compared to the previous year.
Wizz Air prefers to land at smaller or secondary airports to reduce costs and fees.
Wizz Air started new services between Katowice
and London Gatwick in 2008. Winter destinations from Warsaw are Milan Bergamo and Grenoble. In January 2008, flights started from Gdansk to Goteborg, Bournemouth and Coventry.
In summer 2008, Wizz Air restarted the summer only services from Katowice and Budapest to Girona
, as well as a new weekly service to Girona from Gdańsk
. Other summer services from Budapest are Heraklion
, Corfu
, Burgas
and Varna
, from Katowice to Crete-Heraklion and Burgas, Warsaw to Corfu and Burgas. They also restarted the three-times weekly service from London Luton to Burgas.
On 2 October 2008, Wizz Air announced that a number of their Romania
services would have increased frequency following an order for three Airbus A320 aircraft. Services began 15 February 2009 from Timisoara, on 1 March 2009 from Bucharest, and 1 May 2009 from Cluj-Napoca
.
Wizz Air Ukraine
Wizz Air Bulgaria
Wizz Air has 1 international base at Sofia
.
Wizz Air Bulgaria merged with Wizz Air Hungary in 2011. All flights from Bulgaria are now operating under Wizz Air Hungary.
and bmibaby
.
Calls to the customer service department cost 0.75 GBP per minute, according to Wizz Air's own homepage, and controversially Wizz Air also maintains that it takes up to 30 days to process customer complaint emails. Available statistics show that just 74% flights were on time, with 26% arriving late or being cancelled. Specifically, 8% were classed as being 'late', 3% 'very late', 9% 'excessively late', and 2% cancelled completely.
The Average age of the Wizz Air fleet (As of 21 June 2011), is less than 3 years.
30 aircraft operate for Wizz Air Hungary (a further 3 for Wizz Air Bulgaria
and 2 for Wizz Air Ukraine
). All its A320s are powered by International Aero Engines V2500
engines, including those to be leased from GECAS. The 99.5% technical dispatch reliability is well above the world average. Maintenance is by the Lufthansa Technik
maintenance organisation.
On 10 October 2007, Wizz Air confirmed an order for a further 50 Airbus A320
aircraft bringing its total commitments of that type up to 80 and an option for further 25 A320s.
During the 2009 Paris Air Show, Wizz Air signed a letter of intent with Airbus to purchase 50 shorthaul aircraft (possibly the A320) at a price of $3.8 billion.
According to the website wizzairsucks.com the airline does not respect passengers' rights and often ignores European law, in particular Regulation 261/2004.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
low-cost airline
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
with headquarters in the Airport Business Park C2 in Vecsés
Vecsés
Vecsés is a town of 20,550 inhabitants in Budapest metropolitan area, Pest county, Hungary, situated adjacent to Budapest's Ferihegy Airport.-History:...
, close to Budapest Ferihegy International Airport
Budapest Ferihegy International Airport
Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport , formerly known as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, is the international airport serving the Hungarian capital city of Budapest, and the largest of the country's five international airports. The airport offers international connections primarily...
, Hungary. The airline typically uses secondary airports serving many cities across Europe.
History
The airline was established in September 2003. The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm specialising in transportation investments. The first flight was made on 19 May 2004 from KatowiceKatowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, 19 days after Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Hungary entered the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
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, 10 million passengers. In 2007 Wizz Air carried 2.9 million passengers on its Polish routes.
The airline's CEO and chairman is József Váradi, former CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Malév Hungarian Airlines
Malév Hungarian Airlines
Malév Hungarian Airlines is the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary. It has its head office in the Lurdy House in Budapest, with its main operations at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. From there, the airline flies to 50 cities in 34 countries worldwide using a fleet of 22...
. The company is registered in Pest County (Hungary) with operating subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. Wizz Air Bulgaria was established in September 2005.
József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air, won the Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
award of the 'Brave Innovator' in 2007. The prize recognised the break through in the airline business in Hungary and the region, the business model and the business conduct of Wizz Air.
In summer 2008 Wizz Air became the first low cost carrier in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Financial Performance
While attempting to hasten SkyEuropeSkyEurope
SkyEurope Airlines was a low-cost airline headquartered in Bratislava, with its main base at M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, Slovakia, and another base in Prague. The carrier filed for bankruptcy on 31 August 2009 and suspended all flights on 1 September 2009...
's demise in June 2009, Wizz Air claimed it had been "profitable for several years". However, as a private company it is not required to publish its financial accounts. In November 2009, it emerged Wizz Air is significantly loss-making and has never made a profit while delaying the pay-back of €32 million of debt by five years. Losses since commencing operations total €78 million, which has fueled suggestions that the airline may file for bankruptcy.
According to Hungarian weekly magazine Figyelő
Figyelo
Figyelő is a Hungarian business and news weekly, published in Budapest every Thursday by Sanoma Budapest Corporation., subsidiary of Helsinki-based Sanoma. Figyelő covers a broad range of subjects, such as politics, business, economy, society, technology and to some extent culture, its approach...
, Wizz Air ranks 42nd company in Hungary in terms of revenues in 2010. Wizz Air posted sales of HUF
Hungarian forint
The forint is the currency of Hungary. It is divided into 100 fillér, although fillér coins are no longer in circulation. The introduction of the forint on 1 August 1946 was a crucial step of the post-WWII stabilization of the Hungarian economy, and the currency remained relatively stable until...
165 billion in 2010, which is an increase of 22% compared to the previous year.
Destinations
Wizz Air prefers to land at smaller or secondary airports to reduce costs and fees.
Wizz Air started new services between Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
and London Gatwick in 2008. Winter destinations from Warsaw are Milan Bergamo and Grenoble. In January 2008, flights started from Gdansk to Goteborg, Bournemouth and Coventry.
In summer 2008, Wizz Air restarted the summer only services from Katowice and Budapest to Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, as well as a new weekly service to Girona from Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
. Other summer services from Budapest are Heraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
, Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
and Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, from Katowice to Crete-Heraklion and Burgas, Warsaw to Corfu and Burgas. They also restarted the three-times weekly service from London Luton to Burgas.
On 2 October 2008, Wizz Air announced that a number of their Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
services would have increased frequency following an order for three Airbus A320 aircraft. Services began 15 February 2009 from Timisoara, on 1 March 2009 from Bucharest, and 1 May 2009 from Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
.
Wizz Air Ukraine
Wizz Air Ukraine
Wizz Air Ukraine Airlines LLC is the Ukrainian division of Wizz Air which was created to start domestic operations in Ukraine on 11 July 2008.-Destinations:Wizz Air Ukraine operate to the following :Germany:...
- The Ukrainian division of Wizz Air has 1 international base at Kiev.
Wizz Air Bulgaria
Wizz Air Bulgaria
Wizz Air Bulgaria was the Bulgarian division of Wizz Air. The Bulgarian company was awarded licences to begin services to Greece, Turkey and Moldova in 2006....
- The Bulgarian division of Wizz Air has been awarded licences to begin new services to GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. While LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(LutonLondon Luton AirportLondon Luton Airport is an international airport located east of the town centre in the Borough of Luton in Bedfordshire, England and is north of Central London. The airport is from Junction 10a of the M1 motorway...
) daily from Sofia, weekly from Varna and seasonal from Burgas. Wizz Air considers to start flights from Plovdiv shortly.
Wizz Air has 1 international base at Sofia
Sofia Airport
Sofia Airport , sometimes also called Letishte Sofia-Vrazhdebna , is the main airport in Sofia, Bulgaria. Located east of central Sofia. In 2010 the number of passengers was 3.3 million...
.
Wizz Air Bulgaria merged with Wizz Air Hungary in 2011. All flights from Bulgaria are now operating under Wizz Air Hungary.
Service quality
According to customer reviews, Wizz Air is a 2 star airline, making it comparable to airlines like RyanairRyanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
and bmibaby
Bmibaby
Bmibaby Limited is a small British low-cost airline and a subsidiary of British Midland International. It flies to destinations in the UK and Europe from its bases at Belfast-City, Birmingham and East Midlands airports....
.
Calls to the customer service department cost 0.75 GBP per minute, according to Wizz Air's own homepage, and controversially Wizz Air also maintains that it takes up to 30 days to process customer complaint emails. Available statistics show that just 74% flights were on time, with 26% arriving late or being cancelled. Specifically, 8% were classed as being 'late', 3% 'very late', 9% 'excessively late', and 2% cancelled completely.
Fleet
The Wizz Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 21 June 2011)| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-232 | 37 | 123 | 180 |
The Average age of the Wizz Air fleet (As of 21 June 2011), is less than 3 years.
30 aircraft operate for Wizz Air Hungary (a further 3 for Wizz Air Bulgaria
Wizz Air Bulgaria
Wizz Air Bulgaria was the Bulgarian division of Wizz Air. The Bulgarian company was awarded licences to begin services to Greece, Turkey and Moldova in 2006....
and 2 for Wizz Air Ukraine
Wizz Air Ukraine
Wizz Air Ukraine Airlines LLC is the Ukrainian division of Wizz Air which was created to start domestic operations in Ukraine on 11 July 2008.-Destinations:Wizz Air Ukraine operate to the following :Germany:...
). All its A320s are powered by International Aero Engines V2500
International Aero Engines V2500
The IAE V2500 is a two-shaft high-bypass turbofan engine which powers the Airbus A320 family , and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90. International Aero Engines is a consortium backed by four aero-engine manufacturers, formed in 1983 to produce the engine...
engines, including those to be leased from GECAS. The 99.5% technical dispatch reliability is well above the world average. Maintenance is by the Lufthansa Technik
Lufthansa Technik
Lufthansa Technik AG is the leading manufacturer-independent provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services for aircraft, engines and components. The Lufthansa Technik Group consists of 32 companies with more than 25.500 employees...
maintenance organisation.
On 10 October 2007, Wizz Air confirmed an order for a further 50 Airbus A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft bringing its total commitments of that type up to 80 and an option for further 25 A320s.
During the 2009 Paris Air Show, Wizz Air signed a letter of intent with Airbus to purchase 50 shorthaul aircraft (possibly the A320) at a price of $3.8 billion.
Criticism
Wizz Air has taken a fair amount of criticism since its inception over its quality of service and allegedly poor customer support. On August 17, 2009 they filed an official complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization over the domain Wizzairsucks.com which surfaced a few months earlier by a group of disgruntled customers. Wizz Air sued the web site owners, claiming the domain name constitutes trademark infringement, but the respondents prevailed and the site remains. On December 22, 2009 they were embroiled in a controversy over a story that circulated from Travel.ru, claiming they used police dogs and tear gas to forcibly remove several passengers from a cancelled flight scheduled from London to Kiev. This was contested by Wizz Air claiming it was a PR attack perpetrated by angry customers of the flight. They released a police report corroborating their version of events which clearly made no mention of either tear gas or dogs being involved in the ordeal. However the story quickly circulated over the internet by disgruntled customers causing a PR problem.According to the website wizzairsucks.com the airline does not respect passengers' rights and often ignores European law, in particular Regulation 261/2004.
See also
- Transport in HungaryTransport in Hungary-Railways:* Total: 7,606 km** Broad gauge: 36 km gauge** Standard gauge: 7,394 km gauge ** narrow gauge: 176 km gauge...