Wizz Air

History

Wizz Air was founded in September 2003 by József Váradi and operated its first flight from Katowice, Poland, on 19 May 2004 as an ultra-low-cost carrier targeting Central and Eastern Europe. It grew rapidly through a network of country and regional bases, expanded into a listed company on the London Stock Exchange, and built a fleet strategy centered heavily on the Airbus A320neo family, becoming the world's largest operator of the A321neo. Indigo Partners, the U.S. private equity firm, is the airline's lead investor.

Current Operations

As of 2026 Wizz Air operates an all-Airbus fleet of more than 250 aircraft, roughly 73% of it A320neo-family jets, from about 194 airports in 46 countries, with its main bases at Budapest, Bucharest and London Luton. It is headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, with its listed corporate parent registered in Jersey, and carried over 68 million passengers in 2025 — making it the third-largest low-cost carrier in Europe behind Ryanair and easyJet — with roughly 80 million projected for 2026. Some aircraft have reportedly remained grounded due to an industry-wide Pratt & Whitney geared-turbofan engine inspection program; the airline is not a member of any global alliance.

Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports28

Sample Routes6