Time to party as Wizz Air sets up Luton airport base

Stags and hens now have another airline to pick for bargain boozy breaks after Wizz Air established its first UK base at Luton airport, flying new direct routes to Tel Aviv, Kosovo’s capital Pristina and Kutaisi in Georgia.

Shares in the central Europe-based budget airline rose 35p to 1680p as it expands, with a new Airbus A320 at Luton from June.

Wizz is already the airport’s second-largest carrier, flying five million passengers a year, and has bucked the trend among rivals to entrench amid fierce competition and falling fares. Chief executive Jozsef Varadi said the move “underlines Wizz Air’s commitment to the UK”.

Another fast-growing airline in the UK, Norwegian, said new routes such as Gatwick to Las Vegas and Boston, as well as packed planes, helped it to post its highest annual results, with a 1135 million kroner (£109 million) net profit.

The carrier — now flying 4.5 million passengers to 96 destinations from the UK and offering £135 fares to the US — said its “rapid” UK expansion, including its first international headquarters outside Norway, at Gatwick, had been “key” to its year of growth.