Ultra-low-cost carrier Wizz Air and Pratt & Whitney celebrated a milestone together with the airline receiving the 1,000th Airbus A320neo powered by GTF engines. With hundreds of A320 family of airplanes on order fitted with the same engines, Wizz Air is fast becoming one of Europe’s leading sustainable airlines.
1000th GTF-powered A320neo family plane delivered
On April 28th, ULCC Wizz Air welcomed a brand new, GTF-powered Airbus A320neo aircraft to its fleet of 153 aircraft, and the 1000th A320neo powered by GTF engines to be delivered by Pratt & Whitney.
The airline has chosen Pratt & Whitney’s modern and efficient GTF engines to power the 276 A320neo family aircraft it has on order, of which 54 have so far been delivered. Wizz Air also operates several A320ceo family of airplanes that use Pratt & Whitney’s V2500 engines.
Owain Jones, Chief Development Officer, Wizz Air, commented,
“We are thrilled to accept the 1000th GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft. The industry-leading technology in the GTF engine is helping to power our growth, while significantly reducing our impact on the environment and further reducing our already best-in-class operating costs. Our collaboration with Pratt & Whitney has helped us make air travel affordable for more people than ever before, and they are now partnering with us through our efforts to help our Ukrainian brothers and sisters reach safe destinations.”
Sharing the sentiments, Rick Deurloo, Chief Commercial Officer, Pratt & Whitney, also reflected on the association of the two companies on the occasion, adding,
“Congratulations to the Wizz Air team on the 1,000th GTF-powered A320neo family aircraft, and on the success that we’ve achieved together since your first flight in 2004. We are honoured to work with you in connecting people and in making the world more sustainable.”
Sustainable flying
Wizz Air’s fleet development program with the latest Pratt & Whitney GTF engines keeps up with the current push towards a sustainable flying culture. These engines on the A320 family of airplanes will help the carrier reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 16%, regulate emissions by 50%, and noise footprint by 75%.
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Wizz Air plans a threefold increase in its fleet size. It has the largest order of over 378 Airbus A320 family aircraft, which will enable the airline to further reduce its environmental footprint by 25% for every passenger until 2030.
The A321neos, in particular, are proving to be quite important for the airline’s business, particularly in the UK, striking the right balance of sustainability, capacity, and network coverage.
Recovery
Wizz Air features in the top 5 airlines serving Europe this summer based on the number of departures. The airline has made an impressive recovery post-COVID, with Wizz Air Group's departures this summer up 39% versus summer 2019.
It is expanding particularly well in the UK with expansions in London Luton and Gatwick as well as launching base at Cardiff Airport. To match an increase in flight frequency, the carrier has also been on a hiring spree, looking for flight attendants and pilots to join the company.