WIZZ AIR WELCOMES THE EUROPEAN UNION’S LEGISLATION ON THE UPTAKE OF SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUELS (SAF)
September 14, 2023
Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest-growing and most environmentally sustainable airline globally1, supports the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, recently adopted by the European Parliament.
Yvonne Moynihan, Corporate and ESG Officer at Wizz Air, said: “As Europe’s leading airline in terms of emissions intensity reduction, Wizz Air has supported the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation proposal since its inception. The European Union is the standard setter in global climate policy and the ReFuel EU legislation establishes minimum shares of SAF to be blended with conventional aviation fuel, which are binding. The adoption of these mandates will boost the supply of SAF, which is critical to improve the availability and cost of SAF. Wizz Air has started preparing for the upcoming EU mandates by partnering with SAF producers and making our first equity investments in SAF research and development. We see industry collaboration on the development of alternative fuels as one of the most impactful ways to address the current climate challenge, and we remain committed to reducing our carbon intensity by 25% by 2030. It is critical for national governments to now consider incentives to enable the ramp up in production.”
Wizz Air has established its SAF strategy, which includes securing offtake agreements with suppliers for the future and has already signed agreements with Mabanaft/P2X Europe, OMV, Neste and Cepsa. In 2023 Wizz Air also made its first £5 million equity investment in a British biofuel company, Firefly, and participated in $50 million investment in CleanJoule, a US-based biofuel start-up, to further drive SAF research and development.
In the fiscal year 20232, Wizz Air achieved the carbon emissions intensity of 53.8 grams per passenger/km, a decrease by 11% compared to the previous fiscal year performance3. This is Wizz Air’s lowest-ever recorded result for one fiscal year and the lowest performance among major competitor airlines[4].
About Wizz Air:
Wizz Air, the fastest-growing European ultra-low-cost airline, operates a fleet of 185 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. A team of dedicated aviation professionals delivers superior service and very low fares, making Wizz Air the preferred choice of 51.1 million passengers in the Financial Year F23 ending 31 March 2023. Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WIZZ. The company was recently named one of the world's top ten safest airlines by airlineratings.com, the world's only safety and product rating agency, and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World (ATW) in 2020 and named Airline of the Year by Air Transport Awards in 2019 and in 2023, the most coveted honour an airline or individual can receive, recognising individuals and organisations that have distinguished themselves through outstanding performance, innovation, and superior service. Wizz Air has also been recognised as the „Most Sustainable Low-Cost Airline” within the World Finance Sustainability Awards 2022 and the „Global Environmental Sustainability Airline Group of the Year” by the CAPA-Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence 2022.
www.wizzair.com
Notes for Editors:
- All Wizz Air flights are operated on Airbus A320 aircraft with 180 seats, Airbus A320neo with 186 seats, A321 aircraft with 230 seats and Airbus A321neo aircraft with 239 seats.
- For more information about Wizz Air’s sustainability strategy please see F23 Sustainability report
1 According to the CAPA – Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence 2022
2 1 April, 2022 – 31 March, 2023
3 60.7 grams per passenger/km in F22 (1 April, 2021 – 31 March, 2022)
4 Based on the latest publicly disclosed emission information applicable to a 12-month period (Ryanair, EasyJet). Due to differences in reporting period, the figures and timeframe are not fully aligned.
For more information:
Sasha Vislaus
Yves Panneels