Wizz Air hunts UK agency for £5m launch

New European low-cost airline Wizz Air is looking for an advertising agency to handle its £5m launch campaign.

Wizz Air is based at Katowice International Airport in Pyrzowice, Poland. The company plans to begin operating European flights next May. It does not as yet have any landing slots lined up in the UK, but it is believed to be targeting Stansted Airport and it wants a UK agency to handle its European advertising.

The airline was set up in June and is headed by former Malev Hungarian Airlines chief executive Jozsef Varadi. Poland and Hungary are among a number of former Communist countries that are ready to join the European Union next year.

EU membership will mean the countries enjoy more liberal flying regulations and Wizz Air intends to take advantage of the large, under-served Eastern European business and tourism market for cheap flights.

Katowice handled 202,000 passengers in 2002 and it is expected to report growth of 25 per cent this year.

Analysts agree that growth in the low-cost airline market will now have to come from continental European markets, as the UK is nearing saturation. This has not deterred new companies from entering the UK market, however – Duo in Birmingham and Air-Scotland in Glasgow are among the latest to offer flights.