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Wizz Air UK

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Wizz Air UK
IATA ICAO Call sign
W9 WUK WIZZ GO
Founded26 September 2017; 7 years ago (2017-09-26)
Commenced operations3 May 2018; 6 years ago (2018-05-03)[1]
AOC #2449
Operating bases
Frequent-flyer program
  • WIZZ Discount Club
  • WIZZ Privilige Pass
Fleet size18
Destinations57[2]
Parent companyWizz Air Holdings plc
HeadquartersLuton, England
Key peopleMarion Geoffroy (Managing Director)[3]
Websitewww.wizzair.com

Wizz Air UK Ltd. is a British low-cost airline and subsidiary of Wizz Air Holdings plc, using its corporate identity. Founded to enable Wizz Air to retain full UK market access post-Brexit,[4] it is headquartered at London Luton Airport,[5] and has bases at Luton and London Gatwick Airport. Wizz Air, including its UK subsidiary, operate flights from eight UK airports to almost 90 destinations across Europe and the Middle East.[6]

Wizz Air UK holds a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[7]

UK launch

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In October 2017, Wizz Air announced it had applied for an air operator's certificate (AOC) in the United Kingdom through a new UK-based subsidiary, Wizz Air UK, with plans for the subsidiary to take over a number of Wizz Air's existing routes from its existing Luton Airport base starting in March 2018.[4] The following month, the airline announced an expansion of service at Luton after acquiring departure and landing slots from defunct Monarch Airlines.[8] Wizz Air UK received its AOC in May 2018, two months later than originally planned.[1]

Wizz Air UK opened its second base at Doncaster Sheffield Airport in August 2020, basing only one aircraft there and operating 10 routes.[9] This was increased to 23 routes and another based aircraft in September 2020.[10] However, in June 2022 Wizz Air UK announced its Doncaster Sheffield base would be closing, citing the airport's inability to guarantee the terms of its commercial agreement with Wizz.[11] In October 2022, Wizz Air ceased operating from Doncaster Sheffield and launched seven routes from nearby Leeds Bradford Airport.[citation needed]

Wizz opened a base at Gatwick Airport near London in October 2020, with one aircraft flying four new routes.[12]

In December 2020, Wizz Air UK announced it would be opening its fourth UK base at Cardiff Airport, basing one aircraft and opening 9 routes.[13] In January 2023, Wizz Air announced the indefinite closure of its Cardiff base despite operating for less than a year.[citation needed] The airline cited economic pressures such as rising fuel prices as the reason for the closure.[14] The last Wizz Air flights from Cardiff were on the 25th January 2023.[14]

Civil Aviation Authority dispute resolution

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In December 2022, the UK Civil Aviation Authority announced its findings that Wizz Air ranked as the worst airline for complaints escalated to dispute resolution services in the third quarter, at 811 complaints per million passengers.[15] Wizz Air UK was also the worst performer for flight delays from UK airports in both 2021 and 2022, according to studies of Civil Aviation Authority data by PA Media released in August 2022 and April 2023.[16][17]

Destinations

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Main article: List of Wizz Air destinations

Wizz Air UK operates in conjunction with parent company Wizz Air. Together, they operate to almost 90 destinations from the UK.[6]

As of November 2023, the airline group uses the UK AOC on flights connecting the UK with the European Union, Europe, Morocco and the North Western part of the Middle East.[18]

Fleet

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Wizz Air UK Airbus A320-200
Wizz Air UK Airbus A321neo

Current fleet

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As of September 2024, Wizz Air UK operates the following aircraft:[19]

Wizz Air UK Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A321neo 18 0 239
Airbus

A321XLR

0 2 239 Wizz air UK will take delivery of the 1st and 3rd XLR the Wizz air group receives.[20]
Total 18 2

References

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  1. ^ a b "Wizz Air UK receives air operator's certificate and operating license - First flight on 03 May 2018" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Wizz Air UK on ch-aviation.com". ch-aviation.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Leadership Team". Wizz Air. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Wizz Air applies for a UK air operator certificate" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  5. ^ Wizz Air. "Company Information". Wizz Air. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b Wizz Air. "Timetable". Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Airline licence holders". Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Wizz Air acquires additional slots at London Luton" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Wizz Air announces new base and major expansion at Doncaster Sheffield Airport" (Press release). Wizzair Hungary Ltd. 13 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Wizz Air announces second based aircraft and six new routes" (Press release). Doncaster Sheffield Airport. 1 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Airline announces large number of flight cancellations from Yorkshire airport". ITV News. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Wizz Air announces further UK expansion with new Gatwick base" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  13. ^ "Wizz Air announces further uk expansion with new base at Cardiff Airport". cardiff-airport.com. 3 December 2020.
  14. ^ a b Barry, Sion (10 January 2023). "Wizz Air is pulling out of Cardiff Airport". WalesOnline. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Regulator raises concerns with Wizz Air following complaints". Civil Aviation Authority. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Wizz Air named worst airline for UK-departing flight delays". The Guardian. 29 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Wizz Air perform worst for flight delays". BBC News. 9 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Wizz Air Flights and Destinations - FlightConnections". www.flightconnections.com. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  19. ^ "G-INFO search | Civil Aviation Authority". siteapps.caa.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  20. ^ Peters, Luke (10 September 2024). "Wizz Air confirms London to Jeddah as its first A321XLR route from March 2025 – AeroTime". Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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Media related to Wizz Air UK at Wikimedia Commons

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