WIZZ AIR ANNOUNCES NEW ORDER FOR UP TO 196 AIRBUS A321neo Family AIRCRAFT
Dubai Airshow deal underpins 'WIZZ 500' growth strategy and ambitious sustainability commitment
DUBAI, 14 November 2021: Wizz Air Holdings Plc ("Wizz Air" or "the Company"), Europe's fastest-growing airline, announced today that it has signed an agreement ("Agreement") with Airbus S.A.S. ("Airbus") for the purchase of a further 102 Airbus A321 aircraft, comprising 75 Airbus A321neo and 27 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, with the bulk to be delivered between 2025 and 2027. Under certain circumstances, Wizz Air may acquire a further 19 A321neo aircraft. Airbus has also granted Wizz Air 75 A321neo purchase rights for deliveries in 2028-29, to be converted into a firm order by the end of 2022.
As with previous orders, under the agreement Wizz Air has the right to substitute a number of the Airbus A321neo aircraft with the Airbus A320neo and/or A321XLR aircraft and vice versa, depending on its future requirements. Completion of the order remains subject to approval by Wizz Air shareholders.
With the new order, Wizz Air's delivery backlog comprises of a firm order for 34 A320neo, 254 A321neo and 47 A321XLR aircraft, plus the additional order for 19 A321neo and purchase rights for 75 A321neo, a total of 429 aircraft.
József Váradi, Wizz Air's chief executive officer said:
"After two years in service, Wizz Air's Airbus A321neo continues to provide market leading aircraft technology and choice - there is simply no other aircraft that can compete with it. With its next-generation engines, it has proven to be the game-changer that we said it would be when we placed our first order back in 2015.
"But most importantly, these are by far the most fuel and cost efficient aircraft in their class - supporting us in maintaining our position as the most sustainable airline in Europe and reaching our sustainability goals of reducing CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre by 25% by 2030. It is important to note that if all European airlines switched to a modern Airbus A320/1 fleet like Wizz Air and operated them as efficiently as Wizz Air, the whole industry's CO2 emissions would reduce by 34% overnight.
"Wizz Air is an ambitious airline with a strategy that seeks to grow the company and will continue to stimulate demand for air travel in Europe and beyond by offering the lowest fares and CO2 footprint to our customers, while still delivering a great customer experience on-board one of the youngest fleets in Europe. Our current average aircraft age stands at 5.1 years, well below the industry average (around 10 years), but with this new order we will see this drop to 3.6 years by 2024, and even further to 3.2 years by 2026.
"Despite strong demand for the aircraft, we have signed very attractive terms with Airbus for the long-term supply of more aircraft until the end of the decade, catapulting Wizz Air towards our aim of being a 500 aircraft group and putting us in an unassailable position when it comes to sustainability." This new order, if approved by Wizz Air's shareholders, would bring Wizz Air's outstanding orders with Airbus to 429 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft."
-Ends-
Notes to Editor:
This announcement contains inside information. The person responsible for arranging the release of this announcement on behalf of Wizz Air is Owain Jones, Chief Supply Chain and Legal Officer.
About Wizz Air
Wizz Air, the fastest growing European low-cost airline, operates a fleet of 144 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. A team of dedicated aviation professionals delivers superior service and very low fares, making Wizz Air the preferred choice of 10.2 million passengers in the financial year F21 ending 31 March 2021. Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WIZZ. The company was recently named one of the world's top ten safest airlines by airlineratings.com, the world's only safety and product rating agency, and 2020 Airline of the Year by ATW, the most coveted honour an airline or individual can receive, recognizing individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves through outstanding performance, innovation, and superior service.
Investors:
Zlatko Custovic, Wizz Air: +36 1 777 9407
Media:
Christie Rawlings, Wizz Air: +36 70 685 1583 / +44 7811 155205
Natasha Seager Smith, Wizz Air: +36 70 199 1475
Edward Bridges, FTI Consulting LLP: +44 7768 216607
RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our Privacy Policy.
