A lot of scope from Prague with Wizz - I think they will make a better job of it than those who have tried recently. There is scope for Prestwick/Liverpool/Bournemouth/Doncaster/Barcelona/Malaga/Faro/Palma/Milan/Venice/Stockholm/Oslo.

What about another base in Brno?

Wizz pulled out of Krakow to Katowice and renamed it Krakow.

Did Wizz ever operate out of Krakow Balice ? I flew on several of their very early flights days after they began ops and it was to Katowice with a bus to Krakow even in those days !

Wizz never had any scheduled flights to/from KRK.

Just pondering the same. Living far from PL myself, but have been monitoring this market very closely. Never KRK, just KTW (okay, Katowice as Krakow) served by Wizz from the very beginning, wasn't it so?

Well, the above reply from Hungary confirms that too. Only recently Krakow has been trying to revise the price policy to lure more lcc's, but I don't think it could impress Wizz any more.

Wizz's very first flight was from Katowice to Luton, a service that has been constant. KTW is fairly close to KRK, and a connecting bus service has been offered linking KTW with Krakow for some time.

W6 in Romania
 

Wizz Air airline plans to employ more than 100 people this year to support the opening of a third company operations base in Romania and for new aircraft, according to Wizz Air Corporate Communications&Public Affairs Director, Natasa Kazmer.

W6 will double capacities in Romania and employ personnel to attend the passengers on new aircraft to be allocated to Romania. The company currently employs 80 people locally.
Wizz Air plans to employ pilots and flight attendants, as the current economic crisis provides the opportunity to attract well trained personnel from the market.

“The number of people looking for a job has increased, given the layoffs made by various companies. I think this is an advantage. On the other hand, we do not believe that a low salary level creates conditions for good long-term results,” Kazmer said.
Personnel turnover within the company is low, as employees appreciate Wizz Air’s stability and development plans, especially amid the current economic situation, she added.

The company plans to become market leader in Romania on the low-cost segment and is estimating it will carry 1.7 million passengers this year.

They announced a base at Timisoara starting this February. After Bucharest and Cluj their third base in Romania.

Or something different right now?

No, I don't think so. Just some numbers were given by W2 to illustrate this as a moderate, but still courageous step ahead in difficult times.

PRAGUE, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Low-cost air carrier Wizz Air plans to double its fleet over the next two years as it seeks to raise its share of a declining European airline market, the firm's chief executive said on Thursday.

CEO Jozsef Varadi said that despite the expected industry downturn, Wizz Air aimed to raise the number of passengers to 8 million in 2009 from 5.8 million last year.

It intends to double its fleet to 42 planes by 2011 from the 21 Airbus A320s it has now.

Speaking at the launch of the Budapest-based firm's operations in Prague, Varadi said the low-cost segment would see great consolidation over the next few years.

"There are 50 low-cost carriers now. I think you are going to see five low-cost carriers 10 years from now," Varadi said.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said earlier this month that global traffic in economy class -- which accounts for 90 percent of all seats -- fell by 5.3 percent year-on-year in December.

The main competitors Wizz Air faces in central and eastern Europe are SkyEurope, EasyJet (EZJ.L) and Ryanair (RYA.I).

Varadi said the privately-held company made a profit at operating level for the third consecutive year in 2008, but gave no details. (Reporting by Robert Mueller; editing by John Stonestreet)

Does anyone know how the Wizz flights to / from the Ukriane from Luton are doing ?

We flew L'viv - Luton on the 8th of Feb, and there were 80 on board. The four of us paid only 85p each (+ c/c charge) and had four rows to ourselves. The only advertising at L'viv airport was one A3 poster in the window of a building to the right of the main terminal saying that you could check-in for Wizz there.

Flight was on time, but the crew were unable to sell us anything on board due to not having regulatory permission to do so(?) and as such we were offered free tea, coffee, water and orange juice.

I'm doing Luton - Katowice - Kiev - Simferopol - Kiev - Oslo Torp next month so will report back any findings after that. I really think they need to advertise more in Ukraine though... we saw nothing anywhere in L'viv, but loads of posters all over London.

Problem is that Ukrianians need to get visas to travel and this is difficult ! My wife is Ukrainian and its difficult for her to get one for her mother to come to see us !

Wizz Air to fly a new route to Prague from Liverpool.

The service will operate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11th July at lunch time.

How long before they announce DSA to Prague? Would have thought it likely through a 'Peel Deal'?

BHX man,

I wish my mother-in-law was Ukrianian!

Why isn't DTVA counted in on the Peel deal?

Maybe I can help !

DTVA were in on the Wizz "Peel Deal" but the Warsaw route failed - use it or lose it.

Wizzair order 50 more aircraft
 

18/06/2009

Wizz Air orders 50 Airbus A320s

The low cost low fare carrier prepares for the future with a large A320 order
Wizz Air, the largest low cost - low fare airline in Central and Eastern Europe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to buy 50 more A320s taking their total orders up to 132 aircraft. All Wizz Air aircraft will be configured in a comfortable single-class layout, seating 180 passengers. No choice of engine has been made yet.
The new A320 order will allow Wizz Air to reinforce and expand its extensive network established at eleven operating bases, in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Czech Republic. It will also allow the airline to add new destinations to its 130 existing routes. This new large A320 order will enable Wizz Air reinforce its position as the leading airline in the region over the next decade.
Wizz Air already operates a young and eco-efficient Airbus fleet of 24 A320s.
“The new order is consistent with our growth plan and underpins our aspiration to become the airline of choice in Central and Eastern Europe. The aircraft economics of the Airbus A320 is instrumental for us to deliver the business at the lowest possible cost in order to make our low fares accessible to an ever increasing customer base. This new commitment also reflects on the robust nature of our business, even in a challenging market environment.” said József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air.
"In only five years, Wizz Air supported by lead investor Indigo Partners has developed into a formidable success story, and we are delighted they did it with our Airbus aircraft. The A320 is undoubtedly the world’s favorite single-aisle aircraft, offering superb economics and high passenger appeal. It is also the most eco-efficient aircraft of it category” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers. “This milestone order is yet another demonstration of the market superiority of the A320.”