Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has acquired some of the take-off and landing slots made available at London Luton Airport (IATA: LTN) by the recent collapse of Monarch Airlines. As a result, Wizz Air says it will increase its fleet at Luton by two airliners to a total of seven aircraft. The airline says this new investment represents a capacity increase of 18% year-on-year at Luton to a total of 7.1 million seats in 2018.
Wizz Air Chief Executive Officer, József Váradi commented: “We continue to develop our business in the United Kingdom. Following the announcements of establishing Wizz Air UK and our accelerated growth plan just a few days ago, here we go again. Acquiring airport slots and airport nightstands at Luton Airport will enable us to enhance our presence and competitive position in the London market. In summer Wizz Air UK will operate a fleet of seven A320/A321 aircraft, to grow the overall WIZZ capacity by 18% in 2018. While BREXIT will certainly pose challenges to the airline industry, we see it as an opportunity for Wizz Air, as our highly efficient low fare model will prevail even more under the new circumstances.”
