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WYDARZENIE10EVENTTen years ago, the aviation industry in Polandunderwent a true revolution. Accessionto the European Union meant that theopen skies principle began to apply here,allowing foreign low-cost carriers entryonto the local market. The first to decideto make the most if this was Wizz Air. Registeredin Hungary, Wizz Air was a newcomerto Europe’s skies. As its first base,Wizz Air’s management chose KatowiceAirport. It is at our airport that the carrierbased its first Airbus A320 in the characteristicpink and purple livery and this iswhere the popular ”Landryna” (sweet –eng) performed ​its first scheduled flight,on 19 May, 2004, to London Luton.Wizz Air’s aim is to connect people, createnew jobs, stimulate trade and developtourism between the countriesto which offers connections.Thisidea, the carrier implemented in Pyrzowicewith great success. Thanks to WizzAir, Europe opened up to residentsof southern Poland. The airlinecontinues to grow steadily atKatowice Airport. Since 2004,the base at our airport hasgrown to include four aircraftin autumn/winterand five in the springsummerseason. Currently,the carrier offers20 routes to 13countries from KatowiceAirport. At thebeginning of its operations,Wizz Air’snetwork from KatowiceAirport mainlyfoused on the regionsof Europe boastinglarge clusters of Polishpeople and countriesthat had opened up theirlabor markets to Polish citizensfollowing its entry intothe European Union. Overtime, Wizz Air’s network expandedto include typicallytourist destinations, such asthe Grenoble (in winter), Burgas(in summer) or Tel-Aviv,Kutaisi in Georgia and Naples(year-round).Currently, Wizz Air is thelargest airline operatingat Katowice Airport.Its share in totalpassenger trafficis at a level of 45%.Annually, 1.2 millionpassengers use WizzAir’s network fromPyrzowice, and itsAirbus A320 aircraftperform almost 8 000operations (take offsand landings) at KatowiceAirport. TodayWizz Air is a leader interms of transport in Centraland Eastern Europe,boasting a young fleet of 48Airbus A320 aircraft. Overall,from its 19 bases, the airlineoffers 300 routes connecting 96destinations in 35 countries. Theairline also employs a qualified staff of approximately1 700.From the very outset, Wizz Air has operatedusing a low-cost model, offering itspassengers flights to Europe at affordableprices, while ensuring a high qualityof services. The airline has repeatedlyfine-tuned its reservation system, ensuringticket bookingas at optimal prices, inorder to provide its passengers with greatsolutions and a transparent pricing system.The carrier is also investing in thedevelopment of mobile applications for iOSand Android systems that allow passengersto purchase tickets, check the statusof a particular flight or check in online.With every year, Wizz Air is increasing itspresence in Central and Eastern Europeby adding new aircraft to its fleet, openingadditonal bases and expanding itsnetwork of connections, while constantlymaintaining high standards of services atlow prices.fot. Artur Nyk, Piotr Komander