On April 23, 2021, Wizz Air CEO said that the airline’s expansion plans were still on track despite the crisis affecting the international air travel demand. The airline eyes a possible post-pandemic entry into Asian and African markets.
“We are no longer just European airline,” Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said during World Aviation Festival virtual event.
While talking about the airline’s post-pandemic expansion, Váradi said the low-cost carrier would “possibly over time” come to the African market, as they are already operating in the Middle East as well as conducting regional Gulf flights.
Additionally, Wizz Air sees a “possible” entry to Asia, as the expansion to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provided the airline with significant opportunities to enter Asian markets. “Markets are becoming easily accessible, but this is a long-term process. We will see exactly how this is going to play out,” Váradi said.
With goals to grow the network, Wizz Air is aiming to expand its fleet by taking up 27 aircraft deliveries, namely Airbus A321neo aircraft. According to Airbus Orders and Deliveries data, the European airplane manufacturer delivered three Airbus A321neo aircraft to Wizz Air UK and one to Wizz Air Hungary in the period of January-March 2021.
“We have been growing our fleet,” Váradi added. “We have taken 20 new aircraft deliveries during one year period and we are scheduled to take another 27 aircraft deliveries in the coming 12 months.”
Wizz Air operates a total of 137 Airbus-manufactured aircraft: 72 Airbus A320s, 64 A321s, and one A330, the Planespotter.net data shows. The whole Wizz Air fleet is relatively young, standing at 5.4 years old on average.
