A Google ad for Wizz Air, seen in June 2024, claimed: “Fly Wizz Air – one of the greenest choices in air travel”.

There don't appear to have been any consumer or competitor complaints, but the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) challenged whether this claim was misleading, questioning the validity and clarity of the statement “one of the greenest choices in air travel”.

Wizz Air's position 

Wizz Air defended their claim by emphasising their substantial investments in the airline industry’s decarbonisation efforts, to the tune of billions of Euros. They highlighted that they operated the youngest and most carbon-efficient fleet in Europe, with an average aircraft age of 4.3 years. Wizz Air reported the lowest carbon emissions per passenger at 52 grams of carbon dioxide per revenue passenger kilometre (CO2/RPK), a figure independently verified. They provided a report to substantiate this data.

Wizz Air also detailed their active fleet renewal program, replacing older Airbus A320ceo aircraft with newer Airbus A321neo models. This transition resulted in a 10% reduction in fuel consumption and a 20% improvement in per-seat fuel efficiency. The Airbus A321neo was noted for being the most efficient single-aisle aircraft in its category, with the lowest fuel consumption per seat kilometre and a 50% reduction in noise compared to older models.

Additionally, Wizz Air invested in the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), holding equity in two companies producing SAF and securing agreements to purchase SAF upon production. They aimed to achieve 10% SAF usage by 2030, surpassing the ReFuel EU Aviation Regulation requirements. Wizz Air was also a member of the Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation (AZEA) and the Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Value Chain Industrial Alliance (RLCF), supporting future technology investments.

As part of their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy, Wizz Air said they had established an independent Sustainability and Culture Committee and appointed a dedicated ESG Officer. This committee ensured that environmental considerations were integrated into the company’s strategy and that sustainability claims were verified through data, assurance, and benchmarking.

Decision

The ASA upheld the complaint, concluding that the ad was misleading. The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 3.1 (Misleading advertising), 3.33, 3.35 (Comparisons with identifiable competitors), 11.1, and 11.3 (Environmental claims). 

The CAP Code requires that the basis of comparative claims such as “greener” or “friendlier” must be clear. Comparisons with identifiable competitors must be verifiable and include sufficient information for consumers to understand and verify the claims.

The ASA determined that consumers would interpret the claim “one of the greenest choices in air travel” to mean that Wizz Air’s environmental impact was among the lowest of all airlines operating flights to and from the UK. While Wizz Air based their claim on their aircraft type and carbon emissions per passenger, this information was not included in the ad. 

The ad also lacked details that would allow consumers to understand the comparison. 

Because the ad did not clarify the basis of the claim or provide verifying information, it was found to breach the CAP Code.