• Enables Wizz Air to purchase up to 185,000 metric tons of SAF from OMV
  • Co-operation reaffirms Wizz Air’s ambitious sustainability commitment

Abu Dhabi, UAE: Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and most environmentally sustainable airline globally[1], has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OMV, the international integrated oil, gas and chemicals company headquartered in Vienna, for the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) between 2023 and 2030. The MoU gives Wizz Air the opportunity to purchase up to 185,000 metric tons of SAF from OMV. This co-operation guarantees Wizz Air can progress in accordance with its plan for reduction of CO2 intensity per passenger kilometre.

Today’s announcement builds on Wizz Air’s position as the most sustainable choice of air travel and is a key part of the airline’s environmental strategy to reduce carbon emissions intensity by 25% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. With the lowest CO2 intensity per passenger kilometre in Europe, one of the youngest fleets in the world, and numerous fuel efficiency initiatives, Wizz Air is already leading the aviation industry to a more sustainable future.  

OMV is implementing numerous measures to help deliver its ambitious strategic sustainability goals, and SAF is a key technology for the decarbonization of the aviation industry. The goal involves increasing SAF production to as much as 700,000 tons in 2030. This is in line with OMV's ambition to become a net zero company by 2050 at the latest (for Scopes 1, 2 and 3). To this end, clear medium-term and long-term emission reduction targets have been defined as part of the OMV Strategy 2030.

Owain Jones, Development Officer at Wizz Air, said: “We have achieved our market-leading sustainability position by continued investment in innovative technology and operating the most up-to-date aircraft in the most efficient way.  Wizz Air’s commitment is to drive our own emissions intensity down by a further 25% by the end of the decade, with the use of SAF playing a significant role in that commitment.  Supporting the production and research of SAF technologies is one of our priorities and we are pleased to co-operate with OMV to further reduce the aviation industry's carbon footprint. The new MoU is testament to our commitment to ensuring that by choosing to fly with Wizz Air, our customers are making the most responsible choice of air travel available.”

Nina Marczell, OMV Vice President Aviation, Fuel Distribution & Public Sector: “I am very pleased that the cooperation between OMV and Wizz Air will help us achieve our respective strategic sustainability goals. With Wizz Air we were able to gain a strong international partner. SAF is the most significant path to decarbonizing aviation in the coming decades. Our strategic relationship is enabling the way to a more sustainable aviation future we both want to be part of.”

-Ends-

About Wizz Air

Wizz Air, the fastest growing European ultra-low-cost airline, operates a fleet of 172 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. A team of dedicated aviation professionals delivers superior service and very low fares, making Wizz Air the preferred choice of 27.1 million passengers in the Financial Year F22 ending 31 March 2022. Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WIZZ. The company was recently named one of the world's top ten safest airlines by airlineratings.com, the world's only safety and product rating agency, and 2020 Airline of the Year by ATW, the most coveted honour an airline or individual can receive, recognising individuals and organisations that have distinguished themselves through outstanding performance, innovation, and superior service. Wizz Air has also been recognised as the „Most Sustainable Low-Cost Airline” within the World Finance Sustainability Awards 2022 and the „Global Environmental Sustainability Airline Group of the Year” by the CAPA-Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence 2022.

About OMV Aktiengesellschaft

With Group sales revenues of EUR 36 bn and a workforce of around 22,400 employees in 2021, OMV is amongst Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Chemicals & Materials, OMV through its subsidiary Borealis, is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals, fertilizers, and plastics recycling. Together with its two major joint ventures – Borouge (with ADNOC, in the UAE and Singapore) and Baystar™ (with TotalEnergies, in the USA) – Borealis supplies products and services to customers across the globe. OMV’s Refining & Marketing business produces and markets fuels as well as feedstock for the chemical industry, operates three refineries in Europe, and holds a 15% stake in a refining joint venture in the UAE. OMV operates around 1,800 filling stations in ten European countries. In addition, the activities include Gas & Power Eastern Europe where it also operates a gas-fired power plant in Romania. In Exploration & Production, OMV explores and produces oil and gas in the four core regions of Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, North Sea, and Asia-Pacific. Average daily production in 2021 included production from a joint venture in Russia and amounted to 486,000 boe/d with a focus on natural gas (~60%). As of March 1, 2022, Russian entities are no longer consolidated. Its activities include Gas Marketing Western Europe, where it also operates gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany. OMV intends to transition from an integrated oil, gas, and chemicals company to become a leading provider of innovative and sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials, while taking a leading global role in the circular economy. By switching over to a low-carbon business, OMV is striving to achieve net zero in all three Scopes by 2050 at the latest.

For more information:
Daria Sergeeva; Wizz Air Group; daria.sergeeva@wizzair.com