New customer Wizz Air orders 12 A320 Family aircraft

Wizz Air, Central and Eastern Europe’s largest low-fare, low-cost airline has signed a contract for 12 firm A320 Family aircraft, including A319s and A320s, plus 12 options, becoming a new Airbus customer. All the aircraft will be powered by International Aero Engines V2500-A5s and be configured in a comfortable single-class layout, seating up to 156 passengers in the A319s and up to 180 passengers in the A320s. Deliveries will begin in the summer of 2007.

The 12 aircraft order underpins Wizz Air's plans to expand its all-Airbus fleet of six leased A320s to meet the increasing demand for air travel in the region. It will also enable the airline to open up new European routes from its present bases (Budapest, Hungary and Katowice, Warsaw and Gdansk in Poland) as well as new base airports in Eastern Europe. Since beginning operations in May 2004, Wizz Air has become the leading low-cost airline in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), an achievement that the carrier acknowledges amongst others as being due to the consistently high standard of operational service and comfort that A320 Family aircraft deliver.

"Having successfully operated A320s for more than a year, I am convinced that the Airbus A320 Family is the best-suited aircraft for our needs," said Mr József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air. "With the lowest operating cost, high dispatch reliability and fast turnaround times, it provides us with the economics and range necessary for our continued success."

Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer Dr Gustav Humbert said: "I am delighted that Wizz Air's experience with the A320 over the past year has resulted in this order to expand the fleet. This is another example that underlines the A320 Family's position as the reference aircraft for low-cost carriers worldwide. I am confident that the superb economics and excellent passenger appeal of our airliners will help Wizz Air to consolidate its position as CEE’s largest low-fare airline."

The A320 and A319 are part of Airbus' modern family of aircraft and benefit from many innovative features at no extra charge, such as advanced fuel-saving aerodynamics, including winglets; weight-saving carbonfibre composites; pilot and maintenance-friendly fly-by-wire controls; and centralised maintenance.

A320 Family aircraft are also the undoubted reference for the low-cost carrier market. This positioning is due to their optimised cabin cross-section, creating unprecedented passenger comfort and quick turnaround times, as well as the well-spaced seating capacity between different aircraft models.

With more than 3,600 Airbus A320 Family aircraft ordered and over 2,500 delivered to date, the A320 Family is undoubtedly the most successful airliner programme ever (in its basic versions). The Airbus A320 Family has more than 190 customers and operators to its credit

Airbus is an EADS joint company with BAE Systems.

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