Wizz Air is focused on availing of the Airbus A321neo's lower operating costs rather than its potential to add farther-flung destinations to the network.
Speaking to FlightGlobal in London on 27 February, chief executive Jozsef Varadi said the airline "primarily" saw its on-order A321neos as representing "a cost initiative rather than a range initiative".
He says the A321neo – a first of which is to join Wizz's fleet in the coming days – is set to deliver operational cost savings of 20% versus the A320ceo and 10% versus the A321ceo.
Varadi says Wizz is not "planning on extending the range of the airline" with the jets, which will not be used for any significant alteration to the design of its network.
Cirium's Fleets Analyzer shows that Wizz has 184 A321neos on order and holds options on another 90. In addition, the airline has five A321ceos and 72 A320neos on order.
Varadi says that with its investment-grade ratings from Moody's and Fitch, Wizz will always be "ahead of the pack" when it comes to securing aircraft financing, and as long as it continues perform to expectations.
He notes that conditions are currently "very attractive" for securing such finance, and believes this will continue because it "remains important" for governments to stimulate the economy by keeping interest rates low.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
