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1 October 2024
WIZZ AIR UNVEILS NEW PILOT TRAINING CENTRE IN ROME FIUMICINO AIRPORT
A long-term investment of over EUR 38 mln, the new facility will provide recurrent training for over 4800 pilots per year

Rome, Italy, October 1, 2024 - Wizz Air, the most environmentally sustainable airline globally*, has officially opened its newest pilot training centre in Rome Fiumicino Airport, Italy, with an investment of over 38 million euros. The state-of-the-art facility will serve as Wizz Air's second training centre, following the success of its initial Budapest location. The centre is poised to provide recurrent training for more than 4,800 pilots each year, a testament to the airline's commitment to the highest safety standards and innovation in aviation.

The grand opening ceremony took place on October 1, 2024, with key speeches delivered by Wizz Air CEO József Váradi, Aeroporti di Roma CEO Marco Troncone, and CAE’s Vice President, EMEA Commercial Aviation, James Cahill.

Jozsef Varadi, Wizz Air's CEO, commented: "This new training centre in Rome signifies Wizz Air's commitment to investing in the future of aviation and our employees. Our pilots are at the heart of our operations, and this facility will ensure that they continue to receive the most advanced, rigorous training possible. This investment in Italy, one of the key markets for Wizz Air, where we already have five bases employing over 1000 crew members and over 20 most efficient single aisle aircraft with the best sustainability indicators in its class, further solidifies our long-term presence in the region."

Located within walking distance of Rome Fiumicino Airport’s Terminal 1, the 2,500+ square meter facility includes briefing rooms, theoretical training spaces, and a simulator hall furnished with two ultra-modern CAE Airbus A320 family full-flight simulators, the third to be installed in 2025. These simulators equipped with high-fidelity visuals, an immersive cockpit environment and realistic flight dynamics will allow over 4,800 pilots to undergo recurrent training annually, supporting Wizz Air’s expanding operations.

Marco Troncone, Aeroporti di Roma’s CEO, a Mundys Group company, said: "This new hi-tech training centre, developed within our starred Airport thanks to a significant investment by one of the fastest-growing carriers in Europe, demonstrates the attractiveness of Fiumicino on the aeronautical market as a base for long-term development. This new project, which we hope will also build up new professional opportunities for the territory and its community, perfectly fits into our strategic vision where innovation and the development of human capital represent fundamental cornerstones for achieving sustainable development in the medium and long-run”. He emphasized the collaboration between Wizz Air and the local airport infrastructure, and highlighting Rome Fiumicino’s key role as 5-Star Skytrax airport and best hub in Europe for the 6th time since 2018, according to ACI Europe.

Wizz Air’s new Rome training centre builds on the success of its Budapest facility, which since its opening six years ago has provided over 98,000 flight hours of training. The addition of this new training facility further strengthens Wizz Air’s position as a leader in European aviation, with a strong focus on investment in continuous training and learning for its employees.

*According to CAPA - Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence 2022-2023




Wizz Air
Wizz Air, the fastest growing European ultra-low-cost airline, operates a fleet of 224 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 62 million passengers in the Financial Year 2024, ending 31 March 2024. Wizz Air is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WIZZ. The company was recently named the 'World's Top 5 Safest Low-Cost Airlines 2024' by airlineratings.com, the world's only safety and product rating agency, and 'Airline of the Year' by Air Transport World in 2020, as well as 'Airline of the Year' by Air Transport Awards in 2019 and in 2023. Wizz Air has also been recognised as the 'Most Sustainable Low-Cost Airline' within the World Finance Sustainability Awards in 2021-2023 and the 'Global Environmental Sustainability Airline Group of the Year' by the CAPA-Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence 2022-2023.
 

Contatti:

Spencer & Lewis per Wizz Air
Aurelio Calamuneri - calamuneri@spencerandlewis.com | +39 389 5206965
Emanuele Pilloni - pilloni@spencerandlewis.com | +39 333 5914226

Per maggiori informazioni:

Tamara Nikiforova, Corporate Communications Manager di Wizz Air: communications@wizzair.com

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Note for editors:
  • Tutti i voli Wizz Air sono operati con aeromobili Airbus A320 da 180 posti e A321 da 230 posti, Airbus A320neo da 186 posti e Airbus A321neo da 239 posti.
  • Per le immagini gratuite degli aerei, degli equipaggi e per la biblioteca dei loghi, visitare il sito
https://wizzair.com/en-gb/information-and-services/about-us/press-office/
  • Per maggiori informazioni sulla strategia di sostenibilità di Wizz Air, consultare il sito F23 ESG Update

About Aeroporti di Roma:
Aeroporti di Roma, a Mundys Group company, manages and develops the Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino airports and carries out other activities related and complementary to airport management. Fiumicino, the first and only airport in Italy with a Skytrax rating of 5 Stars for excellent standards in service quality and recognized during 2024 as the best airport in the world for airport security by Skytrax as well, it has two passenger terminals and is dedicated to business and leisure customers on domestic, international and intercontinental routes; Ciampino is mainly used by low-cost airlines, express-couriers and General Aviation activities. In 2023, Fiumicino and Ciampino airports together reached 44.4 million passengers. Over the past seven years, Aeroporti di Roma has received numerous awards, recognitions and quality certificates. The main ones are the AIRPORT SERVICE QUALITY AWARD, awarded by ACI World for the category of European airports with more than 40 million passengers per year for the years 2017 to 2023 for the high level of passenger satisfaction, and the ACI EUROPE BEST AIRPORT AWARD, category of airports with more than 40 million passengers per year, for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
On 12 February 2024, ADR celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. To mark the occasion, the company unveiled a new logo that visually reaches upward to symbolize its ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation.


Contacts:

Roberto Rao – roberto.rao@adr.it
Giorgia Rossi – giorgia.rossi@adr.it
Francesco Garibaldi – francesco.garibaldi@adr.it
Eleonora Caradonna – eleonora.caradonna@adr.it