Wizz Air Celebrates 20 Years with New Airbus A321neo Highlighting Sustainability

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Wizz Air, recognized as the most environmentally sustainable airline globally, celebrated the arrival of its 132nd Airbus A321neo with a special anniversary livery during a delivery ceremony at the Airbus factory in Hamburg. This new aircraft, with the tail number 9H-WNM, will enhance the Wizz Air Malta fleet, which operates across nearly 200 destinations. The unique livery was designed by Éva Kerényi, the winner of last year’s design competition that invited talent from around the world to create a livery for one of Wizz Air’s Airbus A321neo aircraft.

The vibrant new livery exemplifies the airline’s commitment to sustainability while showcasing its iconic brand colors. The design features interwoven leaves wrapping the fuselage in classic pink and blue WIZZ hues, with a refreshing pop of green. This dynamic pattern not only reinforces Wizz Air’s brand identity but also emphasizes its environmentally conscious approach, making a bold statement in the skies.

The winner of the design competition, Éva Kerényi, commented: “I was inspired by the logo of Wizz Air, which features the airplane as the vein of the leaf. This is why I stuck with the main motif of the leaf; I thought of subtle fine lines with ever-growing leaves, and the signature Wizz Air’s colour scheme, pink and blue, coming together. I dreamed up a delicate, elegant motif, leaves and tendrils twining around the fuselage, which echoes my beloved contemporary style, Art Nouveau.”

This year, Wizz Air celebrated its 20th anniversary, marking significant growth since its inaugural flight on May 19, 2004, between Katowice, Poland, and London, UK. With an extensive network of 800 routes covering nearly 200 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa, the airline has transported nearly 400 million passengers to date.

Speaking at the delivery ceremony Owain Jones, Wizz Air’s Chief Corporate Officer, commented: “Over the past 20 years, Wizz Air’s success has been underpinned by its exceptional fleet strategy. From day one, we have been operating state-of-the-art Airbus A320 Family aircraft. Deliveries of the Airbus A321neo started in 2019 and have fuelled Wizz Air’s growth, making it the fastest-growing airline in Europe and the industry leader in terms of capacity recovery post-pandemic, with the highest proportion of flights among major airlines flown on a new-technology platform. We are delighted to continue our fruitful lifelong partnership with Airbus, enabling us to reach the goal of 500 aircraft in our fleet by 2030.”

A crucial aspect of Wizz Air’s long-term development and sustainability strategy is the renewal of its fleet with Airbus A321neos. These aircraft feature cutting-edge aviation technologies and provide notable environmental advantages, including nearly a 50% reduction in noise footprint, a 20% decrease in fuel consumption, and a 50% reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to the previous model. Currently, the ultra-low-cost airline’s fleet consists of 220 aircraft, with over 60% utilizing the “neo” technology.

Yvonne Moynihan, Wizz Air’s Corporate and ESG Officer, noted: “We are beyond excited to welcome this unique symbol of our 20-year-old history and sustainability achievements to our fleet. In addition to continuously renewing our technology, we are implementing multiple initiatives that enhance our operational efficiency and investing heavily in sustainable aviation fuel. Our recent 5 million GBP investment into a prospective SAF producer Firefly is part of our mid-term strategy to further reduce CO2 emissions. By 2030, we aim to power 10% of our flights with sustainable aviation fuel. Yet the key to achieving net zero emissions is industry collaboration and strategic investments into low carbon technologies, supported by governments and policymakers with necessary legislation and meaningful incentives. We are focused on joining forces with all our partners in the aviation ecosystem on the road to net zero.”

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