Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: In 2022-24, Wizz Air had strategic engagement with EU and UK climate policy. Despite pushing for increased ambition under the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) mandate, Wizz Air oppose other key measures to decarbonize aviation, including an EU kerosene tax.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: In its 2024 and 2023 Annual Reports, respectively published in June 2024 and 2023, Wizz Air supported net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 from aviation in the UK and UAE. In the same 2024 Annual Report, it also appeared to support the COP28. Wizz Air recognized the need for government intervention and reported influencing government regulation in their 2024 and 2023 Annual Reports, on topics such as SAF uptake and the Fit for 55 package.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Wizz Air appeared to have mostly positive engagement with specific EU climate regulations in 2022-24. In a Meeting in October 2023 with the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport Magna Kopczynska, Wizz Air supported the extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) to all international flights. In its 2023 CDP questionnaire as well as its 2024 and 2023 Annual Reports, Wizz Air further supported the extension of the EU ETS to all flights departing the EU and the phase-out of emissions allowances.
Regarding the non-CO2 monitoring, reporting and verification framework under the EU ETS, Wizz Air supported a full scope including extra-EEA flights in a joint letter sent to DG MOVE in June 2024 as well as in its Feedback to the ETS Monitoring and Reporting Regulation amendment in response to the ETS revision in July 2024. Additionally, Wizz Air supported the inclusion of a monitoring, reporting and verification framework under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for non-CO2 in a Joint letter in May 2024 and in an article published in June 2024.
Regarding sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) mandates, in its 2023 CDP, 2024 and 2023 Annual Reports, Wizz Air stated clear support for the EU and UK SAF mandates and further SAF incentives, while advocating for a book and claim system. Wizz Air further supported the adoption of the EU’s SAF mandate by Parliament in a September 2023 press release and advocated for national incentives to facilitate SAF production. Additionally, Wizz Air supported the UK SAF mandate in an 1558408 article published in April 2024.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In 2022-24, Wizz Air appeared to support a transition to SAFs. In its 2024 Annual Report, it appeared to support an increased use of SAF in aviation as well as a switch to green hydrogen in the medium to long-term. Wizz Air also advocated for infrastructure and investments to overcome the technological limitations of using hydrogen in aviation in an article published in April 2023. However, Wizz Air opposed an EU jet fuel tax in a June 2023 Meeting with the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, Magna Kopczynska. It also opposed an EU kerosene tax on intra-EEA flights in its 2024 and 2023 Annual Report, asserting that it would not reduce emissions and may lead to carbon leakage. It opposed an EU kerosene tax for intra-EU flights again in its 2023 CDP questionnaire, while advocating that if a tax were to be implemented it should apply to all international flights. Finally, Wizz Air CEO, József Váradi, appeared to oppose flight bans in a June 2023 Interview.
Industry Association Governance: Wizz Air has not disclosed a list of its industry associations memberships on its corporate website. The company has not published an audit of its alignment with its industry association. InfluenceMap could find no evidence of memberships to climate-active industry associations in our database for Wizz Air.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2024.