Wizz Air Welcomes 11th Aircraft at its Rome Fiumicino Base

The airline celebrated yet another Airbus A321NEO in the base with an electric turnaround, underpinning its commitment to further reduce carbon intensity by 25% by 2020

Wizz Air, the third largest airline in Italy and the most sustainable airline globally^[1], has celebrated the arrival of its eleventh Airbus A321neo aircraft at Rome Fiumicino base. The increased capacity allows Wizz Air to further introduce four routes from Rome this summer: to Luxembourg on 25 July, Kuwait on 26 July, Memmingen on 5 September and Funchal (Madeira) on 6 September.

This new aircraft is part of one of the youngest fleets in the world and the youngest fleet in Italy, with an average aircraft age of 4.5 years, well below that of Wizz Air’s major competitors. Being the most sustainable type of aircraft in its class, Airbus A321neo boasts more fuel-efficient technology, leading to further reduction in Wizz Air’s CO2 emissions per passenger/kilometer. In the financial year 2023^[2] the airline achieved its lowest ever carbon intensity of 53.8 grams, which is also the European aviation industry record.

Sustainability is the core element of the airline’s business, as Yvonne Moynihan, Corporate and ESG Officer at Wizz Air explains: “We are delighted to welcome our eleventh Airbus A321neo aircraft with a fully electric turnaround at Rome Fiumicino, one of the largest bases in our network. We have made significant investment in our fleet, currently the youngest and most fuel-efficient in Europe, but our sustainability efforts do not stop here: for the longer term, we are also exploring the potential for sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen-powered zero emission aircraft. Today’s event demonstrates that industry collaboration is one of the most impactful ways to address the current climate challenge and we are pleased to work on this together with Aeroporti di Roma and Aviation Services”.

The turnaround process included a number of steps using electric equipment to prepare Wizz Air’s aircraft for the next departure once it hadlanded at Rome Fiumicino airport. Aviation Services used all-electric baggage tractors and belt loaders, passenger steps, ground power unit and a towbarless pushback. Electric turnaround allows to reduce carbon emissions from the ground handling process per aircraft by 85% compared to using diesel-powered equipment.

By the end of this year, Wizz Air will operate twenty-six aircraft in Italy, all Airbus A321neo narrow-body aircraft that offer significant environmental advantages, including nearly 50% reduction in noise emissions, 20% in fuel consumption and 50% in nitrogen oxide emissions.

“ADR is pleased to welcome a new aircraft based at Rome Fiumicino airport from Wizz Air, further confirming Wizz Air’s desire to further enhance the attractiveness of the market of Rome” – commented Ivan Bassato, Chief Aviation Officer of Aeroporti di Roma. “This development, in addition to allowing the launch of two further new destinations for our market and the strengthening on as many unmanned routes, generates an important growth in the airport related industries. The positioning of latest generation aircraft and the possibility of carrying out ground operations in full electric mode constitute a further step towards sustainability, one of the fundamental pillars of ADR’s strategy“.

^[1] According to CAPA – Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence 2022
^[2] 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023