Last checked at 16 Feb 2017 07:00
WIZZ AIR ANNOUNCES UK BASE AT LONDON LUTON
THREE NEW ROUTES TO OPERATE FROM JUNE 2017
London, 16 February 2017: Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, today announced that it will open its 28th base on 18 June 2017 at London Luton Airport in the United Kingdom with one new Airbus A320 aircraft. London Luton has operated Wizz Air flights for over twelve years; this will be the airline's first UK airport with base operations.
Establishing this base will strengthen Wizz Air's operational presence at London Luton Airport where it is already the second largest carrier, and increase the number of routes being served from the airport to 42.
The base establishment represents an investment in the airport and the local region by creating 36 direct jobs with the airline. Operations will also contribute to the local economy, supporting jobs in the aviation, transportation, hospitality and tourism industries.
Growth in London Luton
The three new WIZZ services will connect London Luton with Tel Aviv in Israel, Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo and Kutaisi in Georgia, which is the only direct connection between Georgia and the UK. Frequencies on some of WIZZ's most popular routes will also increase with the arrival of the new aircraft: Suceava will run five times per week, Constanta four times per week and Iasi flights will operate daily.
In 2016, as the second largest operator at London Luton, WIZZ carried more than 5 million passengers. In 2017 Wizz Air will have almost 6.3 million seats on sale on its London Luton routes, representing a 13% growth year on year.
Commitment to UK
Wizz Air's first flight took off from Luton to Katowice in May 2004. Today WIZZ's UK network consists of 83 routes to 42 destinations from 9 UK airports. In 2016, Wizz Air carried more than 6.6 million passengers on its low-fare UK routes, representing a 30% growth year on year, supporting almost 5,000** local jobs in associated industries. In February 2017, Wizz Air will celebrate flying 35 million UK passengers on all routes since the start of operations.
Seats on the new routes are already on sale and can be booked from just GBP 34.99* at wizzair.com.
József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air, said:
"Today's announcement once again underlines Wizz Air's commitment to the UK. Our first Wizz Air flight from the UK took off from London Luton in 2004 and since then, we have carried over 35 million passengers on our low-fare UK routes. WIZZ is bringing direct connections and the lowest-fare opportunities to our customers in the UK to explore everything that the CEE region has to offer, whether visiting their friends and family, taking city breaks, exploring undiscovered countryside or sophisticated sea and ski resorts. By establishing base operations at London Luton, where WIZZ is already the second largest operator and an important supporter of local jobs with our business partners, we are also creating direct local jobs with one of Europe's fastest-growing airlines for the first time.
WIZZ AIR'S NEW ROUTES FROM LONDON LUTON:
Destination | Days | Starts | Fares From* |
Kutaisi, Georgia | Thu, Sun | 18 June | GBP 34.99 / GEL 105.99 |
Tel Aviv, Israel | Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun | 24 June | GBP 61.99 / ILS 309 |
Prishtina, Kosovo | Tue, Sat | 24 June | GBP 34.99 / EUR 39.99 |
WIZZ AIR'S FREQUENCY INCREASE ON EXISTING LONDON LUTON ROUTES:
Destination | Weekly Flights |
Iasi | 7 from 5 |
Suceava | 5 from 4 |
Constanta | 4 from 2 |
-Ends-
About Wizz Air
Wizz Air is the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, operates a fleet of 77 Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 aircraft, and offers more than 500 routes from 28 bases, connecting 137 destinations across 40 countries. At Wizz Air, a team of approximately 3,000 aviation professionals delivers superior service and very low ticket prices making Wizz Air the preferred choice of 23 million passengers in 2016. Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WIZZ and is included in the FTSE 250 and FTSE All-Share Indices. Wizz Air is registered under the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), the global benchmark in airline safety recognition. The company was recently named 2016 Value Airline of the Year by the editors of Air Transport World, one of the leading airline trade magazines, as well as 2016 Low Cost Airline of the Year by the Center for Aviation (CAPA), a leading provider of independent aviation market intelligence.
For more information
Tamara Vallois, Wizz Air Group, communications@wizzair.com
Follow us on Twitter: @wizzair
Notes for Editors
· All flights operated on Airbus A320 aircraft, with 180 seats and A321 aircraft with 230 seats.
· New Airbus A321 deliveries started in November 2015.
· For free pictures of aircraft, crews and logo library please visit http://wizzair.com/en-GB/press
*One way including all taxes and non-optional charges.
** ACI suggests creation of 750 on-site jobs for every 1 million carried passengers per year.