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, [8] [9] until he was removed from office by the Medgyessy government in 2003. [10] The lead investor is Indigo Partners, an American private equity firm [11] specialising in transportation investments. The first flight was made from Katowice International Airport on 19 May 2004. [12]
On 25 February 2015, Wizz Air shares began trading on the London Stock Exchange. [13]
In November 2017, Wizz Air announced its planned launch of a British division called Wizz Air UK, based at London Luton 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. [14]
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 Wizz Air also condemned inefficient airlines such as Lufthansa that offered business class and used outdated technologies, which according to Wizz Air cause far more environmental damage. [15] [16]
Development since 2020
By early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Wizz Air to ground its fleet. [17] One-fifth of the staff were dismissed when it became clear that air travel across the continent was shutting down. [18] In April 2020, Wizz Air became Europe's largest low-cost airline with 78,000 passengers. [19] 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. [20] In July 2020, the airline announced that it would form a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company. [21] In October 2020, Wizz took delivery of an A330-200F cargo aircraft (HA-LHU, formerly Qatar Cargo), operating it on behalf of the Hungarian Government as 'Hungary Air Cargo'. [22]
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. [23] In September 2021, rival low-cost carrier EasyJet claimed it had rejected a takeover offer from Wizz Air. [24] 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. [25]
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, four Wizz Air aircraft were stranded in Ukraine, three in Kyiv, and one in Lviv (the latter eventually being recovered and returned to service). [26] [27] 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. [28] [29] 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. [30] [31] 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. [32]
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. [33] In 2024, Wizz Air had to ground hundred of planes after reported faults with Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engines. The CEO said he expected the issue to affect the fleet for two years while the aircraft are inspected. [34] 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. [35] 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. [36] In August 2024, the company announced an "all you can fly" subscription, costing €499 per year. [33] The annual subscription sold out within 24 hours. [37] 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. [38]
€5,073.1 million (2024) [5] 
