Wizz Air to overtake Easyjet as Luton Airport’s largest airline with arrival of new routes from next summer
Ultra low-cost carrier Wizz Air has said it will overtake Easyjet as Luton airport's largest carrier once six new routes come into force from next summer.
Wizz Air UK, a subsidiary set up as a Brexit contingency plan, will bring in two new Airbus A321CEO aircraft from next summer, along with six new routes.
The announcement comes as Wizz Air welcomed 40m passengers on its Luton services since May 2004.
The six new routes will serve Bergen, Thessaloniki, Turku, Porto, Catania and Oslo, with the latter two routes coming into force in mid September.
Wizz Air said seat prices will start from around £25.
The Hungarian airline said it was recruiting crew to serve on the new aircraft.
Wizz Air UK's managing director Owain Jones said: “We are proud to have reached the major milestone of 40 million passengers on our London Luton routes and we would like to thank our loyal customers for continuing to choose Wizz Air for its low fares, unique destinations and great service onboard our young and ultra-efficient fleet. 2018 has been a significant year for the airline, with the establishment of Wizz Air UK and the rapid expansion of the UK route network, which we continue to develop to offer our customers diverse and unforgettable travel experiences.”
Last month the budget carrier downgraded its full-year profit guidance by 21 per cent due a surge in fuel bills of $80m (£70m). Wizz Air's previous profit guidance was in the region of €310m-€340m but the airline now expects to make between €270m-€300m.
A spokesperson for EasyJet said: "EasyJet has a well-established network from London Luton having commenced the airlines first flight from London Luton in November 1995.
“Since then the airline has flown well over 101m passengers to and from London Luton. We now carry over 7.5m passengers a year on 70 routes and have 24 aircraft based at the airport.
“We remain committed growth alongside supporting the airport through their redevelopment.”
Last week Luton Airport unveiled its upgraded terminal after its three-year £160m redevelopment programme drew to a close.
The redevelopment will allow the airport to increase its annual capacity by 50 per cent to 18m passengers by 2020. Passenger numbers have already increased by 35 per cent since work began in 2015, making Luton London's fastest growing airport.