Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) parent Wizz Air Holdings has announced that it has reached an agreement with Airbus to revise the delivery schedule of its aircraft order book. The changes aim to support a "more sustainable and profitable" 10-12% annual seat capacity growth trajectory until 2030, the company said.
The low-cost carrier’s total order for 273 aircraft remains unchanged, but 88 deliveries originally set for fiscal year 2030 will now arrive by fiscal year 2033, the holding said in a statement on November 7.
The deal also cuts its commitment to the longer-range A321-200NY(XLR) from 47 (including five units already delivered) to 11 aircraft, converting 36 orders to other A321neo models. Wizz Air said it continues to plan to operate an all-neo fleet by 2029.
The move was expected, as Wizz Air was reported by Bloomberg, citing internal sources, to have been negotiating with Airbus to defer around 100 deliveries until after 2030.
As reported by ch-aviation, the smaller XLR order follows the closure of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which had been earmarked as a major operator of the longer-range variant.
Despite the deferrals, Wizz Air continues to take on new aircraft. Since the beginning of September, it took two A321-200NX for its Hungarian AOC; one A321-200NY(XLR) and two A321-2000NX for Wizz Air Malta (W4, Malta International); and one A321-200NY(XLR) for Wizz Air UK (W9, London Luton). Its current fleet comprises 242 aircraft across the three AOCs, according to ch-aviation fleets data.
The budget carrier has been restructuring its operations to cut costs and shore up its margins. Following the winding down of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a joint venture with the government there, the airline announced a renewed focus on its core markets in Central and Eastern Europe.
