THE AIRLINE MARKET IS IN A WONDERFUL CONDITION FOR INVESTMENT – TAKE THE PLUNGE
13th June 2012
Wizz Air has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus to explore the potential for hydrogen-powered aircraft operations.
Wizz says that the partnership will provide the airline with a “much deeper understanding of how operating a zero-emission hydrogen aircraft could positively impact the airline’s future business model”.
The objective of the MoU is to identify both operational and infrastructure opportunities and challenges of hydrogen aircraft. Both parties will collaborate to develop a deep understanding of the evolution of the global hydrogen ecosystem, and the potential impact of hydrogen aircraft on Wizz Air’s fleet, operations and infrastructure, including its network, scheduling, ground bases and airports, by considering specific aircraft characteristics, such as achievable range and refuelling time.
“We believe that growth and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, with leading-edge new technology paving the way to more sustainable air travel,” said Johan Eidhagen, Chief People & ESG Officer, Wizz Air. “This momentous agreement with Airbus will advance sustainable aviation across the globe through development of ultra-efficient operations and business models of the future. We are absolutely thrilled and look forward to beginning our co-operation.”
Glenn Llewellyn, Vice President Zero Emission Aircraft, Airbus said: “Working with our customers is paramount to developing a climate-neutral, zero-emission aircraft by 2035. We are very pleased to have Wizz Air on board to collaborate on the ongoing research and development into the requirements for hydrogen aircraft operations within a hydrogen powered aviation ecosystem. Understanding airline fleet and network performance enables us to better define the architectural characteristics for a future ZEROe aircraft as well as the impact on airports, ground support and route network.”
In November 2021, Wizz Air signed an agreement with Airbus for the purchase of a further 102 A321 aircraft, comprising 75 A321neo and 27 Airbus A321XLR aircraft. Wizz Air’s delivery backlog now comprises a firm order for 34 A320neo, 240 A321neo and 47 A321XLR aircraft, plus the additional order for 15 A321neo and purchase rights for 75 A321neo. This represents a total of 411 aircraft.