Wizz Air UK

Wizz Air UK Ltd. is a British low-cost airline and subsidiary of the Hungarian Wizz Air, using its corporate identity. Founded to enable Wizz Air to retain full UK market access post-Brexit,[2] it operates two UK bases, with its headquarters at London Luton Airport.[3] Wizz Air, including its UK subsidiary, operate flights from eight UK airports to almost 90 destinations across Europe and the Middle East.[4]

Wizz Air UK
IATA ICAO Callsign
W9 WUK WIZZ GO
Founded26 September 2017 (2017-09-26)
Commenced operations3 May 2018 (2018-05-03)[1]
AOC #2449
Operating bases
Frequent-flyer program
  • WIZZ Discount Club
  • WIZZ Privilige Pass
Fleet size18
Parent companyWizz Air
HeadquartersLuton, England, United Kingdom
Websitewww.wizzair.com

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.[5]

History

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.[2] The following month, the airline announced an expansion of service at Luton after acquiring departure and landing slots from defunct Monarch Airlines.[6] Wizz Air UK received its AOC in May 2018, two months later than originally planned.[1] Wizz opened a further London base at Gatwick Airport in October 2020, basing an aircraft with four new routes[7]

Wizz Air UK opened its second base at Doncaster Sheffield Airport in August 2020, basing one aircraft there and operating 10 routes.[8] This was increased to 23 routes and another based aircraft in September 2020.[9] 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.[10] In October 2022, Wizz Air ceased operating from Doncaster Sheffield and launched seven routes from nearby Leeds Bradford Airport,[11] mainly to Eastern Europe.

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.[12] In January 2023, Wizz Air announced the indefinite closure of its Cardiff base despite operating for less than a year.[13] The airline cited economic pressures such as rising fuel prices as the reason for the closure.[14] The last Wizz Air flights from Cardiff will be on the 25th January 2023.[14]

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 dispute resolution services[15] in the third quarter, at 811 complaints per million passengers.

Punctuality

Wizz Air UK was 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
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.[4]

A Wizz Air UK Airbus A320-200 at Luton Airport
A Wizz Air UK Airbus A321neo at London Gatwick Airport

Fleet

As of May 2023, Wizz Air UK operates the following aircraft:[18]

Wizz Air UK Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Airbus A320-200 2 — 186 All A320-200 aircraft to be replaced by A321Neo aircraft by November 2023
Airbus A321-200 6 — 230 To be replaced by A321Neo Aircraft by 2025
Airbus A321neo 10 7 239 Deliveries between October 2023 and 2025
Total 18 7

References
  1. "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 applies for a UK air operator certificate" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  3. Wizz Air. "Company Information". Wizz Air. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  4. Wizz Air. "Timetable". Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. "Airline licence holders". Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom). Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  6. "Wizz Air acquires additional slots at London Luton" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  7. "Wizz Air announces further UK expansion with new Gatwick base" (Press release). Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  8. "Wizz Air announces new base and major expansion at Doncaster Sheffield Airport" (Press release). Wizzair Hungary Ltd. 13 August 2020.
  9. "Wizz Air announces second based aircraft and six new routes". Doncaster Sheffield Airport (Press release). 1 September 2020.
  10. "Airline announces large number of flight cancellations from Yorkshire airport". ITV News. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  11. Pearson, James (29 September 2022). "Wizz Air Shifts Doncaster Routes To Leeds Bradford As Airport Closes". Simple Flying. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  12. "Wizz Air announces further uk expansion with new base at Cardiff Airport". cardiff-airport.com. 3 December 2020.
  13. Amati, Giacomo (10 January 2023). "Wizz Air To Cease Cardiff Flights Later This Month". Simple Flying. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  14. 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. CAA. 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. "G-INFO search | Civil Aviation Authority". siteapps.caa.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2022.

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