Exciting: New planes will serve Wizz Air passengers in these European cities

The Hungarian budget airline is grappling with issues surrounding the Pratt & Whitney engines powering its Airbus A320neo fleet. However, a Ukrainian carrier appears to be helping the struggling Hungarian carrier, potentially averting a disadvantaged position in the turbulent market.

According to airportal.hu, Wizz Air is set to lease three Boeing 737 aircraft, complete with crew, until next March to service multiple routes for its passengers. The lessor, Ukrainian airline Sky Up Airlines, has been operating under Maltese permissions since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Leasing the new planes will cost Wizz Air an arm and a leg

Operating under a wet-lease/ACMI leasing arrangement (covering aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance), the contract spans from 1st April to 31st March of the following year. Two of the aircraft will be stationed at the Bucharest-Otopeni base, with the third stationed at Warsaw-Chopin.

Previously, we reported on Wizz Air’s grounding of 20% of its fleet due to issues with Pratt & Whitney engines, with an average maintenance duration of 300 days. Wizz Air has announced its expectation to receive 30 new Airbus A321neo aircraft by 31st March and has extended the leasing agreements for 13 other aircraft. Additionally, three more aircraft will be leased under a dry-lease arrangement (excluding crew). Despite these efforts, the airline has had to suspend several Romanian routes due to capacity constraints.

ACMI leasing is the most expensive option in the market, yet Wizz Air anticipates compensation for the damage sustained by the Pratt & Whitney engines.

Green fuel until 2030

According to airportal.hu, Wizz Air has outlined plans to operate 10% of its flights using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by the end of the decade. Partnering in this endeavour is British company Firefly, which has received a £5 million investment for biofuel development.

Based on the company’s announcement, their carbon dioxide emissions were 6.8% lower in 2023 compared to 2022.

Currently, Wizz Air operates 207 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, servicing 60.3 million passengers from January to December 2023.

Read also:

• Wizz Air moves its headquarters to a landmark office in Budapest – Read more HERE
• 5 supercheap but mesmerizing destinations from Budapest by plane – Details in THIS article

Featured image: depositphotos.com