Wirecard expands collaboration with CEE’s largest low-cost carrier

Wirecard, the global innovation leader for digital financial technology, is expanding its long-standing collaboration with Wizz Air, the largest low-cost carrier of Central and Eastern Europe. From now on, Wirecard will be offering payment processing services in addition to acquiring services via the IT platform of Navitaire, an Amadeus company.

„With this, Wizz Air is the first low-cost carrier to benefit from Wirecard’s flexible omnichannel services via Navitaire’s platform that enables a seamless booking experience and the Amadeus Xchange Payment Platform. Thanks to the extension of the strategic partnerships, Wirecard is strengthening its position in the field of low-cost airlines starting with Wizz Air as the first joint customer.”, according to the press release.

For consumers, low-cost carriers (LCC) have become a popular alternative to traditional scheduled airlines over the last two decades. LCC has been the fastest growing market in the European aviation segment. From 2007 to 2016, low-cost flights grew by 61%, from 5,200 flights per day to around 8,400 flights.

Over the past 14 years, Wizz Air has become the largest low cost carrier in Central and Eastern Europe. With a total of more than 180 million passengers to date, the listed airline increased its passenger volume by 20% in the past 12 months. Wizz Air currently offers more than 600 routes to 44 countries in Europe and beyond. With the help of its ever-growing route network, Wizz Air is democratizing air travel by offering low fares paired with an excellent on-board experience.

Eckart Reiche, VP Sales Airlines at Wirecard, said, “Low-cost carriers have a great growth potential. Therefore, we will keep expanding our position in this segment. We are proud to continuously expand our long-standing agreement with Wizz Air to support them with our expertise in the field of digital payments.”

Andràs Sebők, Head of Fleet Acquisition and Corporate Finance at Wizz Air, said, “After two years of successful cooperation, we are glad to extend our collaboration with Wirecard through Navitaire relying on their long-term expertise in the field of digital financial technology in the airline industry. Our aim is to provide our customers with a high-tech checkout experience continuously fulfilling the needs of our growing digital target groups.”