Wizz Air, the Central and Eastern Europe based low cost airline, has signed a firm contract with Airbus for an additional 50 A320s, taking the total orders of the airline up to 82 A320 aircraft.

The contract represents the largest ever order in the region for a single Airbus type, and will enable Wizz Air to become one of the biggest airlines in Central and Eastern Europe within the next decade. Wizz Air have already ordered 32 new A320s from Airbus, and operate several additional A320s on lease.

The aircraft will be configured with 180 seats in a single class layout. The new aircraft will allow Wizz Air to increase frequencies on existing services, as well as to introducing new routes for the region.

"Wizz Air has demonstrated its ability for sustainable growth, where cost efficiency is the key to generate market and win competition. Our choice of aircraft plays a big part in this cost efficiency. The A320 continues to deliver low operating costs, high operational reliability and customer satisfaction whilst enabling us to remain environmentally conscious. The new aircraft order will make Wizz Air the largest fleet operator in the region." said Jozsef Varadi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air.

"We are very proud to take part in the tremendous growth of Wizz Air in the Central and Eastern Europe region," said Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers, John Leahy. "The new order strongly underpins Wizz Air's aspirations to expand. The A320 Family is clearly the leading aircraft in its category, and this milestone order really endorses the superiority of our product," he added.

With advanced fuel-saving aerodynamic design, including wingtip fences and an all-new lighter cabin helping reduce fuel burn even further, the A320 Family is the most environmentally friendly aircraft type in operation. Centralised maintenance with extended servicing intervals and proven reliability in day-to-day service help to give it the lowest operative costs. In addition, the all new cabin design saves on weight and offers the passenger a quieter and roomier experience as well as significantly larger overhead stowage compartments. The A320 Family, which also includes the A318, A319 and A321, is recognised as the benchmark in the single-aisle aircraft market.

With over 5,400 Airbus single-aisle aircraft ordered and more than 3,200 delivered to date, the A320 Family is without doubt the most successful airliner programme. The A320 Family has more than 200 customers and operators to its credit.