Wizz Air is reportedly engaging in discussions with Airbus pertaining to the potential deferral of some of its forthcoming deliveries. The Hungarian carrier has outstanding orders for almost 300 narrowbody twinjets from the European planemaker, but its growth has stuttered in recent times.
As a result of this, Wizz Air is said to have proposed pushing around 100 deliveries of Airbus planes into the next decade as it slows down its ongoing fleet and network expansion. This year has already seen the airline pledge to convert some of its orders for the Airbus A321XLR models, with Wizz Air currently experiencing frustration surrounding the grounding of almost a quarter of its next-gen fleet.
A Century Of Deliveries May Be Pushed Into The Next Decade
Earlier today, Bloomberg reported that Wizz Air was in talks with Airbus to defer the upcoming deliveries of around 100 of the European manufacturer’s next-generation narrowbody twinjets. The publication, citing sources close to the matter that asked to remain unnamed due to the private nature of the discussions, notes that the planes in question were meant to be delivered to Wizz Air between now and 2030.
However, if these rumors are to be believed, Wizz Air now intends to push these deliveries back into the next decade. According to one of the sources, any deal on this front is still weeks away from completion, based on comments reportedly made by Ian Malin, the airline’s Chief Financial Officer, last month. Bloomberg notes that such deferrals would cap capacity growth at 10%, as opposed to the intended 14%.
Simple Flying has reached out to Wizz Air and Airbus for further information on this matter. We will update our coverage upon receiving statements from either party.
Wizz Air & Its Airbus Woes
While Wizz Air is famously an all-Airbus operator, recent times haven’t exactly been plain sailing as far as the Hungarian budget carrier’s relationship with the European manufacturer and its jets is concerned. Indeed, the airline has been struggling to come to terms with engine issues surrounding the Pratt & Whitney turbofans that power its next-generation aircraft, with seemingly no end in sight for these struggles.
As reported earlier this month by Simple Flying, Wizz Air expects that these issues, and the knock-on effects that its fleet will experience as a result, will continue until the end of 2027. The inspections and repairs that have become necessary due to a manufacturing defect on the PW1000G engine have ultimately led to almost a quarter of the airline’s next-generation Airbus A321neo fleet having to be grounded.
Elsewhere, Wizz Air has also been altering its order book as far as Airbus’ new single-aisle designs are concerned. Indeed, the carrier has also taken the move of cutting its order for the A321XLR model to just 10-15 aircraft, with the rest of these orders being allocated to other variants. A key catalyst on this front has been the closure of its Abu Dhabi-based subsidiary, with the engine issues playing a role here.
The Current State Of Wizz Air’s Fleet
According to present fleet data made available by ch-aviation, Wizz Air’s all-Airbus fleet currently consists of 141 narrowbody twinjets with an average age of 8.1 years old. Of these, 17 are A320-200s and 33 are A321-200s, with the remaining 91 being next-gen examples of the A321neo.
This model is very much the future of Wizz Air, with the Hungarian budget carrier holding outstanding orders for another 276 units, a figure that would nearly triple its current fleet size once delivered. Currently, this total is split between 234 examples of the standard A321neo and 42 A321XLRs.
As previously mentioned, the airline plans to cut this figure down to just 10-15 units in light of the closure of its Abu Dhabi-based arm, which means that the type’s extra range is now less of a priority. In terms of Wizz Air’s other divisions, Wizz Air UK has received three A321XLRs, with two going to Wizz Air Malta. Simple Flying attended the delivery ceremony for the first one, which you can read more about here.
