CONTENTS
Strategic report
Financial highlights
Company overview
Chairman’s statement
Chief Executive’s review
Selected statistics
Financial review
Key statistics
Principal risks and uncertainties
Governance
Corporate governance report
Compliance with the UK Corporate Governance Code
Management of the Company
Report of the Chairman of the Audit Committee
Report of the Chairman of the Nomination Committee
Directors’ remuneration report
Corporate responsibility
Directors’ report
Company information
Statement of Directors’ responsibilities
Independent auditors’ report
Accounts and other information
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
Consolidated statement of financial position
Consolidated statement of changes in equity
Consolidated statement of cash flows
Notes forming part of the financial statements
4
5
7
9
17
19
26
28
34
36
39
50
53
55
70
76
79
80
81
88
89
90
92
92
References to “Wizz Air”, “the Company”, “the Group”, “we” or “our” in this report are references to Wizz Air Holdings Plc, or to
Wizz Air Holdings Plc and its subsidiaries, as applicable.
2019, F19, FY19 and FY 2019 in this document refer to the financial year ended 31 March 2019. 2018, F18, FY18 and FY 2018 refer to
the financial year ended 31 March 2018. Equivalent terms are used for prior financial years.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
2
STRATEGIC
REPORT
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
3
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Financial year
Total revenue (continuing operation*)
Profit for the year (full business*)
Profit for the year (continuing operation*)
Profit margin (continuing operation*)
Financial year
Passengers**
Year-end fleet
Number of employees (average)***
2019
€ million
2,319.1
291.6
295.3
12.7%
2019
34.6m
112
4,550
2018
€ million
1,939.0
275.1
276.4
14.3%
2018
29.6m
93
3,686
Change
+19.6%
+6.0%
+6.9%
-1.5ppt
Change
+16.7%
+20.4%
+14.5%
*
In October 2018 the Group decided to cease its online tour operator business line effective from 31 December 2018. This business
line was in the past (during the 2017-2018 years) presented as a separate operating segment of the Group and for the purposes
of the current financial statements was classified as “discontinued operation” under IFRS 5. The income statement for both
2019 and 2018 is being presented net of the revenues and expenses of the discontinued operation. The continuing operation
for 2018 corresponds to what was presented as the Airline business segment in 2018. As a consequence, some measures for
2018 are now different from those originally disclosed in the 2018 Annual Report for the Group. It is only the profit after tax that
is now disclosed also for the entire business for the two years. (See Note 5 to the financial statements for more detail on the
discontinued operation.)
** Booked passengers.
*** Including rented pilots and inactive employees.
* Years F14-F17 show “underlying net profit”, a non-statutory profit measure used by the Company during those years. For further details
see the F14-F18 annual reports.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
4
STRATEGIC REPORT
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Wizz Air’s Presence
Number of routes operated from CEE* countries as at 31 March 2019:
Poland
Romania
Hungary
Bulgaria
Macedonia
Ukraine
Lithuania
Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgia
Moldova
Latvia
Kosovo
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Albania
Croatia
Montenegro
Slovenia
Estonia
148
137
81
38
33
30
28
18
15
13
13
12
4
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
*
Central and Eastern Europe, or CEE, is a region comprised of Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania,
Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
Number of routes operated from other European countries (to non-CEE countries) as at 31 March 2019:
22
10
Austria
United Kingdom
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
5
STRATEGIC REPORT
COMPANY OVERVIEW CONTINUED
Milestones and Achievements
FY 2019
(cid:1) Wizz Air received two CESAAR awards: The Company was named 2018 “The Best Low-Cost Airline of the
Year in CEE region” and was given the “Best Cabin Crew” award by the Central and Eastern European
passengers.
(cid:1) Wizz Air took delivery of the first two Airbus A321neo aircraft. The new generation game-changer aircraft
is powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, features the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a
single class configuration and offers Wizz Air maximum flexibility, fuel efficiency and low operating cost.
(cid:1) Wizz Air continued to invest significantly in its fleet by adding twelve A321ceo, five A320ceo and two
A321neo aircraft, taking our fleet to 112 aircraft at the end of March 2019.
(cid:1) The Company inaugurated its brand new €30 million state-of-the-art pilot and cabin crew training centre
in Budapest. The facility currently operates two full motion simulators and can train up to 300 flight and
cabin crew members on a daily basis.
(cid:1) Wizz Air was awarded the highest 7-star safety ranking from the world's only one-stop airline safety and
product rating agency AirlineRatings.com.
(cid:1) The Company continues to invest in its people with the launch of the Wizz Air Pilot Academy program in
Hungary. This follows the very successful launches of the program in Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.
(cid:1) Wizz Air received permission from the UK Secretary of State for Transport for Wizz Air UK Limited to be
granted a UK route license, which was issued in October 2018, future-proofing the status of Wizz Air UK
Limited as a British airline, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, and therefore will enable
the Group to continue flying from the UK to non-EU countries following Brexit.
(cid:1) Wizz Air UK company expansion with two additional aircraft to be deployed from summer 2019, taking
the London Luton based fleet to 11 aircraft.
(cid:1) The Company introduced a new transparent baggage policy aimed at easing the boarding experience for
customers and decreasing baggage-related delays for all Wizz Air flights.
(cid:1) Wizz Air celebrated the inauguration of its newest hangar in Sofia, the company's 4th dedicated
maintenance centre in Europe.
FY 2020 to date
(cid:1) Wizz Air opened its 26th base in Krakow, Poland with three brand new Airbus A321 aircraft being deployed
from summer 2019.
(cid:1) Wizz Air has announced the deployment of a total of 11 aircraft in Summer 2019 in the following locations:
Budapest (+1), Katowice (+1), Warsaw (+1), Gdansk (+1), Bucharest (+1), Krakow (+3), London Luton (+2),
Timisoara (+1), Skopje (+1), Varna (+1), Kutaisi (+1)
(cid:1) Wizz Air was named “2019 Airline of the Year” by Air Transport Awards, the only international prize that
awards all the main categories of the air transport industry.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
6
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
Overview
2019 was another strong year for Wizz Air. We carried 34.6 million passengers, delivered revenue growth of
19.6% and net profit growth of 6.0%. We are a European cost-leader and are confident that we are a structural
long-term winner in the aviation industry. Our focus on the lowest-cost operations, superior customer service
and the strong growth profile of the Central & Eastern European markets have once again produced
outstanding results.
Strategy
Our strategy remains simple and is delivering. We maintain an industry-leading cost base, a young, best-in-
class fleet and a focus on the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe. We also continued to strengthen
our position in Western Europe, including the establishment of a base in London Luton which now serves as
our UK operating base. We will further enhance our efficiency and cost base with the addition of the Airbus
A321neo aircraft to our fleet. These larger and more fuel-efficient aircraft financed with our investment-grade
balance sheet enables us to carry more passengers at the lowest possible cost.
Underpinning our commitment to cost-efficient and profitable growth is an unwavering commitment to safety.
We are proud of our safety track record and will continue to ensure that we meet the highest standards for
safety and excellence.
2019 Key Performance Metrics
We delivered on a number of key milestones in 2019 – from a strategic, operating and financial perspective:
(cid:1) Added 125 new routes during the year, strengthening our position as the leader in CEE and as one of
Europe’s strongest and most efficient airlines.
(cid:1) Were awarded a UK route license that future-proofs the status of Wizz Air UK Limited as a British airline.
(cid:1) Signed letter of intent to finance 10 A321neo aircraft at rates significantly better than prior market transactions.
(cid:1) Opened our new €30 million state-of-the-art pilot and cabin crew training centre in Budapest which can train
up to 300 flight crew and cabin crew members altogether on a daily basis.
(cid:1) Further strengthened our balance sheet and liquidity position unrestricted free cash of €1,316.0 million at the
end of the financial year.
(cid:1) Awarded the highest 7-star safety ranking from the world’s only one-stop airline safety and product rating
agency – Airline Ratings.
Board Changes
As a Board, we recognise the importance of good governance and effective oversight in protecting and
creating value for our shareholders. We regularly review the structure of our Board to ensure we have an
appropriate and diverse mix of skills and experience to oversee the execution of our strategy and to ensure
that constructive conversations are held with the management team.
In June 2018, Barry Eccleston joined the Board of Wizz Air as an independent non-executive director. A British
national, Barry recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Americas Inc., where he was responsible
for all aspects of Airbus' commercial airplanes business in North America, a position he held since 2005. His
knowledge on both technical and business levels will be particularly beneficial to Wizz Air.
In July, Peter Agnefjäll was appointed as an independent non-executive Director. Peter was the President and
Chief Executive Officer of IKEA Group from 2013 to 2017. His experience of leading, developing and
transforming a successful low-cost brand in a profitable, sustainable and engaging way will bring an added
and valuable element to Board discussions.
In September Maria Kyriacou was appointed as an independent non-executive Director. Maria is the current
President of International ITV Studios, part of ITV plc. In her role, she oversees ITV Studios’ production
companies across Europe and Australia and its growing US scripted business. As we continue to be a leader
in the digital business, Maria will bring to the Board first-hand experience of leading a business in a sector that
has seen significant digital shift in recent years.
During the July-September quarter, Thierry de Preux and John McMahon stepped down from the Board after
six years. On behalf of the Board, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their valued
contribution in their roles as non-executive Director and as members of the Remuneration Committee and the
Audit Committee, respectively. We wish them well in their future endeavors.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
7
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT CONTINUED
Board Changes continued
In April 2019, John R. Wilson has retired from the Board. John has been with Wizz Air almost since the
beginning and has helped to guide the company's vision and growth since that time as a valued and
knowledgeable non-executive Director. We thank him for his significant contribution over the last 14 years.
For the 2018 external Board evaluation, the Board engaged Oliver Ziehn from London-based corporate
advisory firm Lintstock to conduct an independent external evaluation of the performance of the Board, its
Committees and the Chairman.
Culture & Stakeholders
During 2019, the Board and senior management placed particular focus on building and maintaining strong
relationships with our wide range of stakeholders. The Company’s values are at the core of Wizz Air’s success,
and by ensuring that the entire organization embraces them, we can continue to grow successfully and
generate shareholder value in the long term.
Customers
Our business is successful because of our ability to offer low fares and reliable travel which has gained the
support of our customers. We thank all of our customers, old and new, for their business in 2019. We continue
to expand our network and look forward to welcoming new customers on board at Wizz Air in 2020.
Customers are at the centre of our business. In November we introduced a new transparent baggage policy
aimed at easing the boarding experience for customers and decreasing baggage-related delays.
Employees
We are proud to say that we have over 4,500 aviation professionals delivering a superior service across our
network. The dedication and enthusiasm displayed by them on a daily basis is vital to Wizz Air’s success and
ensuring that our customers feel safe and comfortable on board.
We have consistently placed a high emphasis on – and investment in - education and training for both pilots
and crew members to ensure best-in-class standards across our business. Our new state-of-the-art pilot and
cabin crew training centre in Budapest currently operates two full motion simulators and can train up to 300
flight and cabin crew members on a daily basis.
Communities
Wizz Air has operations at 146 airports in 44 countries and it is our declared aim to build active relationships
with the communities in our markets. During 2019, we once again devoted ourselves to local community
projects across our markets, which foster a stronger bond between our employees and the communities in
which we operate.
The Company is also putting increasing emphasis on minimizing our carbon footprint. The introduction of the
A321neo aircraft to Wizz Air’s fleet means that the company will benefit from industry-leading low emissions:
Pratt and Whitney‘s GTF engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 per cent. and,
in addition, the aircraft provides a 50 per cent. reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation
aircraft.
We believe that the A321neo aircraft will play a vital role towards our goal to operate in the most sustainable
and efficient way possible and minimize the carbon footprint of our customers.
Looking Ahead
The 2019 financial year was another milestone for Wizz Air: we made significant investments in our business
and people, we further strengthened our market position and we affirmed our position as an ultra-low-cost
leader. Demand across all our markets remains robust and we expect to deliver an improved operational
performance in the year ahead in spite of air traffic control and other industry infrastructure challenges.
Starting into the 2020 financial year, we remain confident about the coming period. While turbulence across
the industry is likely to continue, we have proven that we can deliver low operating costs and growth in all
market conditions. We look forward to continuing to build our position as a leader in European air travel. With
a strong balance sheet and a proven business model, we believe Wizz Air can drive strong growth, attract new
customers and deliver superior returns for our shareholders.
William A. Franke
Chairman
30 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
8
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW
I am delighted to be able to report another year of success for Wizz Air in 2019, as we delivered market leading
growth rates and continued to drive cost efficiencies across the network. In an environment of high fuel prices,
our ultra-low-cost business model provides us with a significant competitive advantage. As we continue to
drive our cost base even lower and profitably stimulate traffic, this advantage allows us to capture an even
greater share of the market for air travel in CEE as well as selected routes in Western Europe.
As economic growth continues across the CEE region, we are happy to welcome customers on board on 125
new routes launched in the last 12 months. In 2019, we carried 34.6 million customers, up 16.7% year on year.
We delivered revenue growth of 19.6% and net profit of a record €291.6 million, an increase of 6.0% year on
year.
The first half of the 2019 financial year brought a particularly challenging operating environment for all airlines
in Europe, and we were not immune. Unprecedented disruptions due to air traffic control (‘ATC’) strikes, slot
constraints and heavily congested airports meant that 251 of our flights were cancelled in the first half. We
took steps to resolve those issues within our control and experienced a significant improvement in the
operating environment in the second half.
We remain well on track to deliver on our mission to be the undisputed ultra-low-cost carrier in the industry.
Central to Wizz Air’s ultra-low-cost base is our commitment to operating the youngest, most fuel-efficient
aircraft. The average age of our fleet is 4.7 years, one of the youngest fleets of any major European airline. In
the fourth quarter, we took delivery of our first A321neo aircraft. We have 254 NEO aircraft on order to be
delivered over the next eight years. These deliveries when combined with an intensive programme of returning
older CEO aircraft back to lessors means that Wizz Air will very soon operate one of the most fuel-efficient
fleets in the world.
Our performance in 2019 demonstrated the agility of our business; the benefits of our fleet and efficiency, the
diversified network and continued improvements to our industry-leading ultra-low-cost base all coming
together to drive fares lower and stimulate ever higher load factors and passenger numbers. In FY 2019, we
delivered:
(cid:1) An increase in revenues of 19.6% to €2,319.1 million;
(cid:1) Growth in ancillary revenue of 18.1% to €953.0 million;
(cid:1) An increase in net profit of 6.0% to €291.6 million;
(cid:1) A total airline ex-fuel unit cost decrease of -1% to €2.24 cents per Available Seat Kilometre (ASK);
(cid:1) A 17% increase in capacity offered to the market (as measured by ASKs), as we extended and deepened
our network of routes to and from Central and Eastern Europe; and
(cid:1) An increase in our average load factor by 1.5 percentage points to 92.8% in the financial year while delivering
industry leading growth rates with a passenger number increase of 16.7% to €34.6 million.
Strategic progress
We remain committed to our strategy built on low fares and a diverse network, supported by efficient
operations and high-quality customer service.
Cost control is at the core of our business and with a relentless focus on costs and efficiency across all areas
of the business, we are able to offer our customers industry-leading low fares and grow our markets. Our
structured approach to risk management and our agile infrastructure of personnel, processes, systems,
suppliers and outsourced services means that the organization is sufficiently scalable and therefore best
placed to carry out our ambitious growth plans.
Our organisation is deeply international across all functions, and this allows us to maintain sustainable partnerships
with all key stakeholders, including our employees, airport operators, suppliers, governments and regulators in
new markets as a reliable, long-term partner.
With our investment-grade credit rating, we will be able to reduce our aircraft ownership costs significantly,
which will enable us to become the undisputed cost leader in the European airline industry, sustainably grow our
business and maximize shareholder value.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
9
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
CEE’s Leader
Wizz Air remains the undisputed market leader in the CEE region, with a market share of 38.6% in the low-
cost sector and 16.3% of the total CEE market. During FY 2019, we launched 125 new routes and now operate
from 25 bases which connect 146 destinations in 44 countries. We remain confident in the growth potential of
the region and will continue to stimulate demand in our markets.
The table below shows the Company’s ranking by low-cost market share in each of its CEE base countries:
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Carrier
Share Airline
Share Airline
Wizz Air
Ryanair Group
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Ryanair Group
Ryanair Group
Ryanair Group
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
38.6% Ryanair Group
50.3% Wizz Air
57.1% Blue Air
50.9% Ryanair Group
53.0% Ryanair Group
43.1% Nordwind
Airlines
53.2% Wizz Air
53.2% Wizz Air
63.6% Wizz Air
48.4%
54.5% Ryanair Group
55.1% FlyOne
86.3% Germania Flug
54.8% Pegasus
flydubai
30.2% Easyjet
38.8% Norwegian Group
24.6% Ryanair Group
26.1% Easyjet
35.7% Easyjet
12.9% Pegasus
42.1% Norwegian Group
29.2% Norwegian Group
32.4%
flydubai
23.5% Air Arabia
12.2% Easyjet
44.9%
6.3% Pegasus
flydubai
12.4%
Share
6.1%
4.1%
15.0%
8.3%
4.4%
12.5%
4.8%
16.7%
2.6%
11.9%
8.4%
4.9%
11.8%
Market
CEE
Poland
Romania
Hungary
Bulgaria
Ukraine
Lithuania
Latvia
Slovakia
Georgia
Serbia
Moldova
Macedonia
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
The table below shows the Company’s ranking by market share in each of its CEE base countries:
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Market
CEE
Poland
Romania
Ukraine
Hungary
Bulgaria
Latvia
Serbia
Lithuania
Georgia
Moldova
Slovakia
Carrier
Wizz Air
Ryanair Group
Wizz Air
Ukraine
International
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
airBaltic
Air Serbia
Ryanair Group
Georgian Airways
Air Moldova
Ryanair Group
Macedonia
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Wizz Air
Wizz Air
Share Airline
16.3% Ryanair Group
25.9% LOT Polish
Airlines
35.7% TAROM
35.9% Aeroflot Russian
31.1% Ryanair Group
24.1% Ryanair Group
58.8% Ryanair Group
45.1% Wizz Air
30.8% Wizz Air
13.6% Wizz Air
46.6% Wizz Air
39.1% Travel Service
Group
61.0% Turkish Airlines
31.4% Turkish Airlines
Share Airline
12.7% LOT Polish Airlines
25.6% Wizz Air
Share
6.2%
20.0%
16.5% Blue Air
8.2% Wizz Air
16.0% Lufthansa
16.2% Bulgaria Air
12.8% Wizz Air
10.9% Lufthansa
24.4% airBaltic
11.7% Turkish Airlines
14.2% FlyOne
21.4% Wizz Air
8.5% Austrian Airlines
12.0% Austrian Airlines
15.3%
7.7%
7.0%
13.4%
7.0%
5.2%
9.8%
11.4%
11.6%
19.9%
6.7%
9.5%
(Source data for both tables: Innovata, April 2018 – March 2019.)
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
10
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
CEE’s Leader continued
The table below shows the fleet allocation by country at 31 March 2019 compared to a year earlier:
Fleet deployment by country
Year end
Total
Romania
Poland
Hungary
Great Britain
Bulgaria
Austria
Macedonia
Ukraine
Lithuania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Latvia
Serbia
Georgia
Moldova
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Undesignated
March 2019
112
26
24
15
9
7
5
4
4
3
2
2
2
2
2
-
-
5
March 2018
93
21
25
12
3
8
-
4
2
4
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
4
Change
+19
+5
-1
+3
+6
-1
+5
0
2
-1
0
0
0
+1
+1
-1
-1
1
Expanding Network
During 2019, we maintained our leadership position in the CEE market, and continued to take advantage of
valuable market opportunities beyond CEE. Our new base in Vienna opened in June 2018 with five based
aircraft. In addition, we started operations to two new destinations in CEE (Tallinn in Estonia and Kharkiv in
Ukraine), as well as from five new destinations across Western Europe and Northern Africa.
As at today, Wizz Air offers services from 23 CEE countries including the 11 CEE countries where we have
based aircraft and crews. During the year, the Company started operations to/from 7 new airports, as follows:
New CEE stations
New stations outside CEE
City
Kharkiv
Tallinn
Country
Ukraine
Estonia
City
Bremen
Castellon
Oslo
Marrakech
Vienna
Country
Germany
Spain
Norway
Morocco
Austria
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
11
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
Fleet development
During the 2019 financial year, we continued to invest significantly in our fleet by adding twelve A321ceo, five
A320ceo and two A321neo aircraft, taking our fleet to 112 aircraft at the end of March 2019. Deliveries of the
A321ceo aircraft commenced in November 2015 and in just less than three years we are already operating 38
of the type, and in March 2019 we took delivery of the first two A321neo aircraft. Together they represent 41
per cent. of the Company’s total seat capacity.
The arrival of the A321neo aircraft is a game-changer for Wizz Air, as we continue to grow at an industry-
leading rate and expand our market reach across and beyond Europe. The aircraft is powered by Pratt &
Whitney GTF engines and features the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a single class configuration
and offers Wizz Air maximum flexibility, fuel efficiency and low operating costs.
The A321neo offers significant environmental benefits with nearly a 50 per cent. reduction in noise footprint
compared to previous generation aircraft. Since entering into service in early 2016, Pratt and Whitney‘s GTF
engine has demonstrated its promised ability to reduce fuel burn by 16 per cent. and nitrogen oxide emissions
by 50 per cent.
The composition of our fleet at the end of the 2019 financial year and currently anticipated at the end of the
next two financial years is as follows:
A320ceo without winglets (180 seats)
A320ceo with winglets (180 seats)
A320ceo with winglets (186 seats)
A321ceo with winglets (230 seats)
A321neo with winglets (239 seats)
Fleet size
Proportion of seat on A321
Average number of seats per aircraft
March 2019
Actual
35
28
9
38
2
112
41%
198,5
March 2020
Planned
32
28
9
41
12
122
50%
203,5
March 2021
Planned
27
28
9
41
35
140
61%
209,8
Aircraft Orders
In FY 2016 the Company concluded a purchase agreement with Airbus for 110 firm-order A321neo aircraft and
purchase rights for a further 90 of the type. During the 2017 financial year the Company selected and
contracted Pratt & Whitney’s new technology geared turbofan engines to power these aircraft. The purchase
agreement includes uncommitted purchase rights for 75 additional A321neo aircraft as well as ample flexibility
with conversion and deferral rights.
During FY 2018 the Company signed two additional purchase agreements with Airbus. The first was for 10
A321ceo aircraft with deliveries in 2018 and 2019 calendar years responding to the ever-increasing demand for
Wizz Air’s low fares. The second and historic order at the end of 2017 was the Company’s largest ever order
of 146 A320neo family aircraft (72 A320neo and 74 A321neo), and as part of an airline group initiative, marked
also as Airbus’ largest ever A320 family aircraft order of 430 units. This exceptional deal secures a continued
stable flow of new aircraft starting from 2021 until 2026 at extremely competitive prices.
Wizz Air now has 254 Airbus aircraft on order and these ultra-efficient, next-step technology aircraft will
underpin our growth plans for the next decade as we continue with our mission to be the undisputed cost
leader among European airlines. Based on the current order book with Airbus, and lessor return schedule, the
fleet will more than double in size from the end of FY 2017 to the end of FY 2024.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
12
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
Offering our customers more
We are continuously working on offering the lowest fares, yet also provide our customers with superior service
starting with the booking flow up to the on-board experience. Our aim is to simplify processes and offer the
most suitable travel options for our customers. In order to deliver a seamless travel experience, we introduced
the following improvements during the 2019 financial year:
(cid:1) The new generation Airbus A321neo aircraft that features the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a
single class configuration and offers Wizz Air maximum flexibility, fuel efficiency and low operating cost;
(cid:1)
Introduction of a new and improved baggage policy which allows priority boarding customers two pieces
of hand-luggage on board and enables more efficient operations, resulting in improved on-time
performance;
(cid:1) New app functionalities with fast track and lounge access sales during and post booking, as well as last
minute sales for WIZZ Priority up to 40 minutes before departure;
(cid:1) Re-design of the check-in and booking flow on the website and the mobile app to provide a more seamless
experience and a better understanding of our products and services;
(cid:1)
Improved disruption management: Wizz Air continuously works on pro-active and timely customer
support by implementing changes and initiatives for better managing disruptions;
(cid:1) Faster repatriation of mishandled bags to passengers with SITA WorldTracer®, which allows the airline to
trace mishandled bags across the globe;
(cid:1)
Increased coverage of parking and transfer services via the app by 10% network-wide, to provide a wider
choice to our customers; and
(cid:1) New cooperation with our partners including Heinemann in Budapest to offer further benefits to our
customers.
Wizz Air’s customer base consists of many loyal Wizz Air fans who frequently fly with us: with our Wizz
Discount Club, more than 1.3 million members and their friends and families benefit from even lower fares.
The trust of our customers is further demonstrated by increasing bookings with our partners via wizzair.com,
as well as further growth of our ancillary revenues by 18.1% year-on-year.
During 2019, we were delighted to having been recognised by a number of awards from our loyal Central and
Eastern European customers, including two CESAAR awards as “The Best Low Cost Airline” as well as the
airline with the “Best Cabin Crew” in Poland, and two Sky Awards in Bulgaria as the “Best Low-Cost Airline”
and as “Passengers’ most preferred choice”. These awards, which are among the most important and
prestigious prizes of the aviation industry in the CEE region, are a recognition of Wizz Air's excellent
performance, superior service and strong network expansion. In May 2019, Wizz Air was named “2019 Airline
of the Year” by Air Transport Awards, the only international prize that awards all the main categories of the
air transport industry.
Developing our people
The success of our business is directly related to the quality of our employees across the network. Without the
best people, we would be unable to deliver on our growth ambitions. We have developed a number of training
and career development initiatives for our employees to help them with their career progression not only
through promotions but also by helping them move between functions, operations and bases. In 2019, we
rolled out the Wizz Air Pilot Academy program in Hungary, following previous successful launches in Poland,
Bulgaria and Romania. We also opened our new €30 million state-of-the-art pilot and cabin crew training
facility in Budapest.
During the 2018 financial year, WIZZ air decided to open the WIZZ foundation, an official funding entity set up
in Hungary, with the aim of supporting the broader community in four different areas: health, education, child
care and emergency aid.
The board of trustees consists of four members drawn from cabin crew, flight crew and office. In addition to
the WIZZ foundation, WIZZ air also introduced WIZZ aid, an employee emergency fund which is designed to
provide financial support to colleagues who need urgent medical treatment or suffer from natural or man-
made disasters.
In addition, the ‘WIZZ People Council’, a community of Wizz Air staff enables an effective two-way
communication between the management and employees, to support the decision-making process on matters
which affect all staff within the company.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
13
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
Environmental initiatives
We continuously use innovative technologies to minimise the effect of our operations on the environment.
With our order of the ultra-efficient Airbus A320neo Family aircraft that started delivery in March 2019, our
environmental footprint will continue to decrease.
In addition, the company is currently implementing over 65 various fuel saving initiatives to make sure that we
minimise our fuel consumption. While undeniably good for business, it also means that we operate in as
environmentally friendly a way as possible. Since 2012, we have started several projects including the
improvement of economic flying speed, descent optimization and zonal drying, which add up nearly 100,000
tons reduction of CO2 emissions per year, or over 3% per aircraft per year.
Technology advancements
Digital technology has been at the core of Wizz Air’s success from the start, and we will continue to serve our
customers across Europe in a scalable and personalized way. In FY 2019, we appointed Joel Goldberg to the
newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer, who will ensure that Wizz Air’s digital development not only
keeps up with, but also anticipates the future needs of our customers as well as continues to improve efficiency
across the business.
Wizzair.com remains one of the world’s top ten most visited airline websites, and 96% of our current sales
come through digital sales channels. To leverage the shifting trends and maintain a low-cost distribution
strategy, Wizz Air has embraced a “mobile first” strategy. By applying user research and service design, Wizz
Air’s digital optimization has contributed to ever improving conversion rates on ticket and ancillary sales. On
our mobile application, we recorded close to 138 million sessions of more than 26 million users in FY 2019.
In addition, we will focus on maintaining and developing solid, reliable and scalable enterprise platforms and
focus on automated processes that support our core business and enable digital ways of working. In FY19, we
have mapped out our most critical processes to lay the groundwork for continuous automation.
As we look ahead to FY20, we will drive further digitalization of the customer journey and support customer
self-service in order to make our products and services available 24-7 to our customers. We will have a
relentless focus on automating the highest volume areas of manual work to free our people up to focus on the
more strategic, value adding activities, and we will be introducing new digital tools to enhance productivity
and connectedness of our employees. This strong digital foundation and framework will enable us to further
leverage emerging technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence in the coming years. As we
continue our remarkable growth story, we are committed to becoming the most digital ULCC in the industry
in order to better serve the evolving expectations of our customers and people.
Balanced hedging approach
Wizz Air operates under a clear set of treasury policies approved by the Board and supervised by the Audit
Committee. The aim of our hedging policy is to reduce short-term volatility in earnings and liquidity. Wizz Air
hedges a minimum of 50 per cent. of the projected US Dollar and jet fuel requirements for the next twelve
months (40 per cent. on an 18-month hedge horizon).
During the 2017 fiscal year the Company started to hedge the GBP, its largest non-EUR revenue currency,
against EUR in order to avoid potential short-term volatility. Unlike for the US Dollar, there is no minimum
coverage set, while the maximum is 60% of projected net GBP exposure on a rolling twelve-month basis.
Details of the current hedging positions (as at 20 May 2019) are set out below:
Foreign exchange (FX) hedge coverage of Euro/US Dollar
Period covered
Exposure (million)
Hedge coverage (million)
Hedge coverage for the period
Weighted average ceiling
Weighted average floor
F20
11 months
$734
$398
54%
$1.2398
$1.1909
F21
7 months
$578
$122
21%
$1.1862
$1.1415
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
14
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
Balanced hedging approach continued
Foreign exchange (FX) hedge coverage of Euro/US Dollar
Period covered
Exposure (million)
Hedge coverage (million)
Hedge coverage for the period
Weighted average ceiling
Weighted average floor
F20*
2 months
£29
£16
55%
£0.9195
£0.8798
F21 *
-
-
-
-
-
*
The GBP hedging program is applicable on a maximum twelve-month horizon and within this horizon is discretionary. The
open hedges currently in place cover only May-June 2019 (i.e. the first two months of F20)
Fuel hedge coverage
Period covered
Exposure in metric tons ('000)
Coverage in metric tons ('000)
Hedge coverage for the period
Blended capped rate
Blended floor rate
F20
11 months
1129
612
54%
$705
$643
F21
7 months
873
191
22%
$689
$631
Sensitivities
(cid:1) Pre-hedging, a one cent movement in the Euro/US Dollar exchange rate impacts the 2020 financial year
operating expenses by €6.0 million.
(cid:1) Pre-hedging, a one penny movement in the Euro/British Pound exchange rate impacts the 2020 financial
year operating expenses by €1.9 million.
(cid:1) Pre-hedging, a $10 (per metric ton) movement in the price of jet fuel impacts the 2020 financial year fuel
costs by $11.0 million.
In the Company’s view, the profit impact of such changes is likely to be less than above given the empirical
evidence of major industry-wide movements in input costs being passed through to air fares with a lag of
twelve to eighteen months.
Management changes
In August 2018, we announced the appointment of Joel Goldberg to the newly created position of Chief Digital
Officer. As mentioned, Mr. Goldberg will be responsible for our continued focus on digital innovation to ensure
we are providing the best service for our customers. Mr. Goldberg reports to Stephen Jones, Managing Director
Wizz Air Hungary and Deputy Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the Group's E-commerce, Data
Analytics and Automation, IT Innovation and IT Infrastructure and Services functions.
In September 2018 our Chief Corporate Officer Owain Jones assumed the newly created role of Managing
Director of Wizz Air UK Limited to lead what we expect will be a significant part of our business in the future.
In the same month, Marion Geoffroy was promoted to Chief Corporate Officer from Head of Legal.
In April 2019, András Sebők was promoted to the newly created Chief Supply Chain Officer position. András
assumed responsibility for fleet acquisition, purchasing, facility management and airport development
functions. In the same month, Johan Eidhagen assumed responsibility of human resources in addition to
Marketing and Communications as well as customer experience and retail as Chief People and Marketing
Officer.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
15
STRATEGIC REPORT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW CONTINUED
Outlook
As the new financial year begins we are very optimistic for the coming twelve months. Higher fuel prices are
supporting a stronger fare environment and we expect these macro conditions to provide Wizz Air with
market share opportunities as weaker carriers withdraw unprofitable capacity. Our ability to drive cost
advantage further and offer lower fares across our ever expanding network will lead to an expected 17%
increase in passenger numbers to 40 million in FY20. Although still at an early stage of the financial year, the
Group net profit is expected to be in a range of between €320 million and €350 million in FY 2020. As usual,
this guidance is dependent on the revenue performance for the all-important summer period as well as the
second half of FY 2020, a period for which the Company, like most airlines, currently has limited visibility.
Wizz Air has recorded a solid start to FY20 with RASK1 forecast up 4% in Q1 year-on-year driven by the
strength in the Company’s ancillary revenues which is expected to continue into the summer and also by the
timing of Easter. With no signs that ATC and airport infrastructure issues will improve any time soon the
Company anticipates another very challenging operating environment in F20. To counter these issues the
Company has implemented a number of initiatives designed to improve our operations customer experience
which includes re-affirming our F20 aircraft delivery schedule with Airbus, additional capacity in our schedule
during the peak summer months and changing our cabin bag policy which will improve boarding times.
Our cost focus, market leading position in CEE, pipeline of 253 larger and more fuel efficient game-changing
Airbus A320neo family aircraft and our investment-grade balance sheet are the strongest of foundations for
Wizz Air to continue to drive profitable growth and achieve one of the best profit margins of all European
airlines, ensuring Wizz Air remains one of the most exciting airline businesses in the world.
Full year guidance
Capacity growth (ASKs)
Average stage length
Load Factor
Fuel CASK
Ex-fuel CASK
Ex-fuel CASK (including net interest expense)
Total CASK
RASK
Tax rate
Net profit
József Váradi
Chief Executive Officer
31 May 2019
2020
Comment
Financial Year
H1: 17%; H2: 15%
16%
-
Moderate Increase
-
+ 1%
+ 7%
Fuel price of $650, €/US$ of 1.12
- 2% Reclassification of lease cost to interest
expense and depreciation under IFRS16
-
-
-
-
-
Broadly flat
+ 2%
Up low single digit
4%
€320 - €350 million
1 See definition of RASK and CASK in the Glossary of technical terms.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
16
STRATEGIC REPORT
SELECTED STATISTICS
* Years F14-F17 show “underlying net profit”, a non-statutory profit measure used by the Company during those years. For further details
see the F14-F18 annual reports.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
17
STRATEGIC REPORT
SELECTED STATISTICS CONTINUED
* F14 and F15 CASK include exceptional items.
** Reliability = (1 - number of operational cancellations / number of revenue flight legs) x 100 per cent.
*** On-time performance = (1- number of delays > 15min / number of revenue flight legs) x 100 per cent. Figures represent A15
(arrival within 15 minutes from the scheduled arrival time.
**** Including rented pilots and inactive employees.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
18
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW
During the 2019 financial year Wizz Air carried 34.6 million passengers, which represents an increase of 16.7
per cent. compared to the previous year. The company grew revenues to €2,319.1 million, an increase of a 19.6
per cent. compared to the previous year. Wizz Air delivered strong capacity growth profitably, despite
challenging circumstances: capacity growth measured in terms of available seat kilometres (ASK) increased
by 17.0% per cent. and seats of 14.9% per cent while delivering a net profit growth of 6.0 per cent. to €291.6m
(the latter including the result of discontinued operation).
The Group achieved an increase in unit revenues measured in terms of ASKs, which rose by 2.3% per cent. to
3.85 Euro cents, while unit costs grew by 4.9 per cent. to 3.35 Euro cents in 2019 from 3.19 Euro cents in 2018.
This increase in CASK1 was principally driven by an increase of 19.0% in fuel CASK. CASK excluding fuel
expenses decreased by 0.9% per cent to 2.24 €cents in 2019 from 2.26 €cents in 2018. Net profit margin
decreased to 12.7%, down from 14.3% in 2018. (These measures, and all other revenue and expense numbers
stated in the Financial Review, are for the continuing operation of the Group unless otherwise indicated. See
Note 5 to the financial statements for more details on the results of the discontinued operation.)
Wizz Air continued to make investments during the financial year, which drive efficiencies and lower costs to
enable long-term growth. Significant milestones include:
(cid:1) The delivery of the first two Airbus A321neo aircraft, which will further strengthen Wizz Air’s position as
Europe’s ultimate cost leader.
(cid:1) Two brand new Airbus A321 aircraft are being deployed in Krakow from summer 2019, operating 12 new
routes to nine countries at Wizz Air’s 26th base.
(cid:1) Wizz Air inaugurated its brand new €30 million state-of-the-art pilot and cabin crew training centre in
Budapest. The facility currently operates two full motion simulators and can train up to 300 flight and
cabin crew members on a daily basis.
(cid:1) The Company expanded Wizz Air UK with two additional aircraft to be deployed from summer 2019,
taking the London Luton based fleet to 11 aircraft.
Profit after tax, including the result of the discontinued operation, increased by 6.0 per cent. to €291.6 million
in 2019 from €275.1 million in 2018. Excluding the result (loss) of the discontinued operation profit increased
by 6.9 per cent. to €295.3 million in 2019 from €276.4 million in 2018
The macro variables with significant influence on the financial performance of the Group developed during the
year as follows:
Average jet fuel price ($/metric ton, including into plane
premium and hedge impact)
Average USD/EUR rate (including hedge impact)
Year-end USD/EUR rate
2019
724
1.18
1.12
2018
611
1.15
1.23
Change
+18.4%
+15.9%
-9.0%
1
See definition of RASK and CASK in the Glossary of technical terms.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
19
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED
Financial overview
Summary statement of comprehensive income
€ million
Continuing operation
Total revenue
Fuel costs
Operating expenses excluding fuel
Total operating expenses
Operating profit
Operating profit margin
Net financing income/(expense)
Profit before income tax
Income tax expense
Profit from continuing operation
Loss from discontinued operation
Profit for the year
Earnings per share
Earnings per share, EUR (Note 13)
Basic earnings per share from continuing operation
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operation
Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share
2019
2,319.1
667.9
1,351.5
2,019.4
299.8
12.9%
0.5
300.2
(4.9)
295.3
(3.7)
291.6
2019
4.06
2.34
4.01
2.31
2018
1,939.0
479.8
1,166.1
1,645.9
293.0
15.1%
(5.7)
287.3
(11.0)
276.4
(1.3)
275.1
2018
4.02
2.19
4.00
2.18
Change in results
19.6%
39.2%
15.9%
22.7%
2.3%
4.5%
6.9%
6.0%
Change
0.04
0.15
0.01
0.13
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
20
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED
Return on capital employed and capital structure
Return on capital employed (ROCE)* is a non-statutory performance measure commonly used to measure the
financial returns that a business achieves on the capital it uses. ROCE for the 2019 financial year was 15.6 per
cent., a change of 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous year.
The Company’s leverage* fell to a ratio of 1.4 (2018: 1.5) at the end of the 2019 financial year.
The year-on-year comparisons of ROCE and leverage were impacted by the translation effect of the stronger
US Dollar compared to last year as capitalised aircraft leases, mostly denominated in US Dollar, are translated
into a higher Euro value in 2019.
Liquidity* rose from 50.5 per cent. at the end of the 2018 financial year to 56.7 per cent. a year later.
ROCE*
Leverage*
Liquidity*
2019
15.6%
1.4
56.7%
2018
16.2%
1.5
50.5%
Change
0.6 ppts
0.1 ppts
6.2 ppts
*
See the definition of these non-statutory measures and their calculation under Key statistics on page 27.
Financial performance
Revenue
The following table sets out an overview of Wizz Air’s revenue items for 2019 and 2018 and the percentage
change in those items:
Passenger ticket revenue
Ancillary revenue
Total revenue
2019
2018
Total
(€ million)
1,366.1
953.0
2,319.1
Percentage of
total revenue
58.9%
41.1%
100%
Total
(€ million)
1,132.2
806.8
1,939.0
Percentage of
total revenue
58.4%
41.6%
100%
Percentage
change
20.7%
18.1%
19.6%
The passenger ticket revenue increase of 20.7 per cent. to €1,366.1 million was primarily driven by increased
RASK1 of 2.3 per cent. as well as 16.7% higher passenger numbers. Ancillary (or “non-ticket”) revenue remained
strong with an 18.1 per cent. growth to €953.0 million. Its share of the total revenue only decreased slightly, by
0.5 percentage points to 41.1%, despite the fact that the free large cabin bag policy was only removed in Q3
2019.
Average revenue per passenger rose to €67.1 in 2019 from €65.4 in 2018, representing an increase of
2.5 per cent. Average ticket revenue per passenger increased from €38.2 in 2018 to €39.5 (by 3.4 per cent.),
while average ancillary revenue per passenger increased to €27.6 from €27.2 (by 1.3 per cent.). The increase
in average revenue per passenger was due to the impact of increased customer penetration of existing
products such as allocated seating and different checked-in luggage sizes.
In 2019 the Group adopted IFRS 15, ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’, which had immaterial impact
(€4.2 million reduction) on total revenues in the year (see more details in Note 2 to the financial statements).
Operating expenses
Total operating expenses increased by 22.7 per cent. to €2,019.4 million in 2019 from €1,645.9 million in 2018.
CASK1 grew by 4.9 per cent. to 3.35 Euro cents in 2019 from 3.19 Euro cents in 2018. The main driver of this
was an increase in the average fuel price.
CASK excluding fuel expenses decreased to 2.24 Euro cents in 2019 from 2.26 Euro cents in 2018. Higher staff-
related unit costs were offset by lower unit costs on depreciation and on net other expenses.
1
See definition of RASK and CASK in the Glossary of technical terms.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
21
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED
Financial performance continued
Operating expenses continued
The following table sets out the operating expenses for 2019 and 2018 and the percentage changes in
those items:
2019
Percentage
of total
operating
expenses
9.8%
33.1%
1.9%
Total
(€ million)
198.6
667.9
37.8
Unit Cost
(€cts/ASK)
0.33
1.11
0.06
Total
(€ million)
147.6
479.8
33.1
2018
Percentage
of total
operating
expenses
9.0%
29.2%
2.0%
Unit Cost
(€cts/ASK)
0.29
0.93
0.06
Percentage
change of
total cost
34.6%
39.2%
14.4%
115.1
5.7%
0.19
98.6
6.0%
0.19
16.7%
326.0
550.3
16.1%
27.3%
0.54
0.91
276.3
465.7
16.8%
28.3%
0.54
0.90
18.0%
18.2%
92.7
4.6%
0.15
90.6
5.5%
0.18
2.4%
30.9
1.5%
0.05
54.2
3.3%
0.11
(43.0)%
2,019.4
100%
3.35
1,645.9
100%
3.19
22.7%
Staff costs
Fuel costs
Distribution and
marketing
Maintenance, materials
and repairs
Aircraft rentals
Airport, handling and
en-route charges
Depreciation and
amortisation
Net other expenses
Total operating
expenses
Staff costs increased by 34.6 per cent. to €198.6 million in 2019, up from €147.6 million in 2018. The increase in
overall staff costs were driven by a significant pilot salary increase, as well as a 14.7 per cent. rise in aircraft
block hours.
Fuel expenses increased by 39.2 per cent. to €667.9 million in 2019, up from €479.8 million in 2018. The main
driver for this increase was rising average fuel prices, as well as an ASK growth of 17 per cent. The average fuel
price, including hedging impact and into-plane premium, paid by Wizz Air in 2019 was US$724 per ton, an
increase of 18.4 per cent. from the previous year’s figure of US$611 per ton. The average euro / US dollar
exchange rate, including the impact of hedging, was 1.18 in 2019 compared to a rate of 1.15 in 2018.
The increase in distribution and marketing costs of 14.4 per cent. to €37.8 million in 2018 from €33.1 million in
2018 is in line with FY 2019 seat capacity growth of 14.9 per cent.
Maintenance, materials and repair costs rose by 16.7 per cent. to €115.1 million in 2019 from €98.6 million in
2018. This cost increase was the result of the increased numbers of hours flown and the timing of certain
maintenance events.
Aircraft rental costs rose 18 per cent. to €326.0 million in 2019, up from €276.3 million in 2018, which is
favourable when compared to a higher fleet growth (equivalent aircraft grew by 21 per cent.).
Airport, handling and en-route charges increased by 18.2 per cent. to €550.3 million in 2019 from €465.7
million in 2018. This category comprised €336.5 million of airport and handling fees and €213.7 million of
en-route and navigation charges in 2019, compared to €273.9 million of airport and handling fees and
€191.8 million of en-route and navigation charges in 2018. The main driver of this cost increase was a 13
per cent. increase in the number of flights, and a 16.7 per cent. rise in passenger numbers.
Depreciation and amortisation charges increased by 2.4 per cent. to €92.7 million in 2019 from €90.6 million
in 2018.
Net other expenses include primarily (i) office overhead and crew related costs other than direct staff
costs, (ii) passenger welfare and compensation costs, (iii) aviation and other insurance costs, and (iv)
credits that do not classify as revenue from customers. The Company’s enviable A320neo family aircraft
order started to deliver significant value in the fourth quarter of F19 with the delivery of the Company’s
first two A321 neo aircraft. This milestone event led to a decrease in net other expenses from €54.2 million
in 2018 to €30.9 million in 2019. This reduction was driven by credit items in 2019 totalling €44.5m relating
to various aircraft asset sale and leaseback transactions and certain supplier contract negotiations. These
items are not expected to recur to the same magnitude in the 2020 financial year. The embedded value
in the Company’s aircraft order of 254 aircraft is expected to deliver significant financial benefits over the
life of the contract.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
22
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED
Financial performance continued
Net financing income and expense
The Group’s net financing gain was €0.5 million in 2019 after a loss of €5.7 million in 2018. This aggregate
change was driven by improvements both in financial income and expenses and in foreign exchange impacts,
as shown in the table below:
€ million
Net financial income/(expenses)
Net foreign exchange loss
Net financing income and expense
See also Note 11 to the financial statements.
2019
2.0
(1.6)
0.5
2018
(2.2)
(3.5)
(5.7)
Change
4.2
2.0
6.2
Taxation
The Group recorded an income tax expense of €4.9 million in 2019 compared to €11.0 million in 2018. The
effective tax rate for the Group in 2019 was 1.6 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent. in 2018. The main
components of the tax charge are local business tax and innovation tax paid in Hungary, and corporate income
tax paid in Switzerland and in the United Kingdom. The lower rate of tax and the lower tax charge in 2019 were
driven by a decrease of Swiss tax, partly offset by an increase of Hungarian local taxes. The decrease of Swiss
tax charge was caused by the reduction in the Swiss income tax rate applicable to Wizz Air Hungary Kft.,
resulting in both (i) in a permanent reduction in the current tax for the year, and (ii) in a decrease of deferred
tax liability and an adjustment to the current tax of prior periods, which credits were one-off in nature.
Profit for the year
The Group generated a profit for 2019 of €291.6 million, a 6.0 per cent. increase from the net profit of €275.1
million in 2018 (both including the result of discontinued operation).
Other comprehensive income and expenses
In 2019 the Group had other comprehensive expense of €5.7 million compared to €10.0 million income in 2018.
This change was driven primarily by the movements in the fair value of open hedge instruments, as reflected
in the balance of the cash flow hedging reserve in equity.
Cash flows and financial position
Summary statement of cash flows
The following table sets out selected cash flow data and the Group’s cash and cash equivalents for 2019 and
2018:
€ million
Net cash generated by operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in financing activities
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations on cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
2019
407.1
(64.0)
(6.5)
(0.1)
1,316.0
2018
416.9
(208.9)
(2.3)
(0.1)
979.6
Change
(9.8)
144.9
(4.2)
-
336.4
Cash flow from operating activities
The majority of Wizz Air’s cash inflows from operating activities are derived from passenger ticket sales. Net
cash flows from operating activities are also affected by movements in working capital items.
Operating cash flows declined from €416.9 million in 2018 to €407.1 million in 2019 primarily due to the
following factors:
(cid:1) Operating cash flows before adjusting for changes in working capital: while profit before tax (including
the result of the discontinued operation) increased by €10.5 million year on year, operating cash flows
(before working capital impacts) declined by €16.1 million primarily because the 2019 profit included €25.7
million gain from the sale of tangible fixed assets, the cash flow impact of which is taken into account
under investing activities.
(cid:1) Changes in working capital: The movements in working capital items increased 2019 operating cash flows
by €53.5 million, which is €9.5 million higher than the impact of the same items in 2018. The cash flows
from the regular significant items of working capital for the Group (receivables, restricted cash, payables,
deferred income) were all increasing year-on-year broadly in line with the rate of growth of the business.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
23
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED
Cash flows and financial position continued
Cash flow from investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities decreased by €144.9 million from a net cash outflow of €208.9 million in
2018 to a net cash outflow of €64.0 million in 2019. The lower investment in 2019 was the net impact of the
following two opposite impacts:
(cid:1) Advances paid for aircraft (pre-delivery payments, ‘PDP’): The net PDP flows (payments paid to Airbus
less refunds received) were €71.3 million inflow in 2019 compared to net €124.9 million outflow in 2018,
requiring €196.2 million less net cash investment in 2019 than in 2018. This decrease was primarily due to
a restructuring of the Company’s CY2019 aircraft delivery schedule and associated PDP commitments
with Airbus in October 2018.
(cid:1) Purchase of maintenance assets amounting to €133.0 million in 2019, compared to only €84.1 million in
2018, consisting of heavy maintenance related activities (by amount primarily related to engine life limited
parts replacements) as well as advance payments made in relation to engine heavy maintenance
scheduled to be performed in the future.
Cash flow from financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities increased by €4.2 million resulting in a €6.5 million outflow in 2019 from a
€2.3 million outflow in 2018.
Summary statement of balance sheet
The following table sets out summary statements of financial position of the Group for 2019 and 2018:
€ million
ASSETS
Property, plant and equipment
Restricted cash*
Derivative financial instruments*
Trade and other receivables*
Cash and cash equivalents
Other assets*
Total assets
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Equity
Equity
Liabilities
Trade and other payables
Convertible debt and other borrowings*
Deferred income*
Derivative financial instruments*
Provisions*
Other liabilities*
Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities
2019
2018
Change
659.3
188.9
31.5
304.2
1,316.0
57.6
2,557.5
684.5
162.1
34.1
239.0
979.6
42.7
2,142.1
(25.2)
26.8
(2.6)
65.2
336.4
14.9
415.4
1,527.7
1,241.9
285.8
306.4
29.0
524.1
18.8
149.2
2.2
1,029.8
2,557.5
254.7
32.2
437.4
13.7
153.0
9.2
900.2
2,142.1
51.7
(3.2)
86.7
5.1
(3.8)
(7.0)
129.6
415.4
*
Including both current and non-current asset and liability balances, respectively.
Property, plant and equipment decreased by €25.2 million as at 31 March 2019 compared to 31 March 2018.
This was driven by the decrease of PDP held with Airbus, as explained above under cash flows from investing
activities.
Restricted cash (current and non-current) increased by €26.8 million as at 31 March 2019 compared to
31 March 2018. These are mainly deposits behind letters of credit issued by Wizz Air’s banks, related primarily
to lease security deposits and maintenance reserves. The growth was broadly proportional with the increase
in the number of aircraft (all leased).
Derivative financial assets (current and non-current) decreased by €2.6 million as at 31 March 2019 compared
to 31 March 2018 (see also Notes 3 and 21 to the financial statements).
Trade and other receivables (current and non-current) increased by €65.2 million as at 31 March 2019
compared to 31 March 2018, which is broadly consistent with the rate of increase of the business during the
year (see also Note 19 to the financial statements).
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
24
STRATEGIC REPORT
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED
Cash flows and financial position continued
Summary statement of balance sheet continued
Cash and cash equivalents increased by €336.4 million as at 31 March 2019 compared to 31 March 2018.
Trade and other payables increased by €51.7 million as at 31 March 2019 compared to 31 March 2018. This rate
of increase is broadly consistent with rate of increase for the Group’s business during the year.
Deferred income (current and non-current) increased by €86.7 million as at 31 March 2019 compared to
31 March 2018 (see Note 26 to the financial statements). This was driven by the increase in unearned revenues,
including also an impact from the timing of Easter (that fell to the end of March in 2018 but to April in 2019).
Derivative financial liabilities (current and non-current) increased by €5.1 million as at 31 March 2019 compared
to 31 March 2018 (see Notes 3 and 20 to the financial statements).
Provisions (current and non-current) decreased by €3.8 million as at 31 March 2019 compared to 31 March 2018
(see Note 29 to the financial statements). The low rate of increase was driven primarily by a decrease in
maintenance provisions for engine life limited parts replacements as a high number of these events were
performed during the 2019 financial year.
Adoption of IFRS 16
The Group is adopting IFRS 16 from 1 April 2019. This change will have significant impact on the financial
statements of the Group. The Group will apply the full retrospective method of transition and will restate the
FY 2019 financial statements in the Annual Report and Accounts for FY 2020. The impacts of the change are
explained in Note 2 to the financial statements.
The transition involves the recognition of a very significant lease liability under IFRS 16, denominated primarily
in US Dollar, which is subject to FX revaluation. This required the implementation of new risk management
measures, to protect earnings from FX translation volatility. The Group, starting from 1 April 2019, is mitigating
these exposures by holding the majority of its cash balances in US Dollar (thus creating a US Dollar monetary
asset to naturally offset most of the lease liability) and by entering into Euro/US Dollar FX forward contracts
to cover the residual risk. The balance of the forward contracts will be actively managed in the future on a roll-
forward basis to cover the estimated future net US Dollar liability. See more details in Note 3 to the financial
statements.
Overall we feel positive about the impacts of IFRS 16 on our business because it will facilitate a fairer and more
transparent comparison of the financial performance between airlines, independent from the form of aircraft
financing.
Iain Wetherall
Chief Financial Officer
31 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
25
STRATEGIC REPORT
KEY STATISTICS
CAPACITY
Number of aircraft at end of period
Equivalent aircraft
Utilisation (block hours per aircraft per day)
Total block hours
Total flight hours
Revenue departures
Average departures per day per aircraft
Seat capacity
Average aircraft stage length (km)
Total ASKs (’000 km)
OPERATING DATA
RPKs (revenue passenger kilometre) (’000 km)
Load factor (%)
Number of passenger segments
Fuel price (US$ per ton, including hedging impact and
into-plane premium)
Foreign exchange rate (US$/€ including hedging impact)
FINANCIAL MEASURES (for the Airline only)
Yield (revenue per RPK, € cents)
Average revenue per seat (€)
Average revenue per passenger (€)
RASK (€ cents)
CASK (€ cents)
Ex-fuel CASK (€ cents)
2019
2018
Change*
112
103.2
12.02
452,550
394,993
190,019
5.05
37,266,876
1,618
60,283,961
93
85.3
12.68
394,624
343,006
168,208
5.41
32,438,754
1,589
51,536,986
55,993,952
92.8
34,566,688
47,209,679
91.3
29,632,357
724
1.18
4.14
62.23
67.1
3.85
3.35
2.24
611
1.15
4.11
59.77
65.43
3.76
3.19
2.26
20.4%
21.0%
(5.2)%
14.7%
15.2%
13.0%
(6.6)%
14.9%
1.8%
17.0%
18.6%
1.5ppt
16.7%
18.4%
2.9%
0.8%
4.1%
2.5%
2.3%
4.9%
(0.9)%
* Percentage changes in this table are calculated by division of the two years’ KPIs also when the KPIs are expressed in
percentage.
Glossary of technical terms
Available seat kilometres (ASK): available seat kilometres, the number of seats available for scheduled
passengers multiplied by the number of kilometres those seats were flown.
Block hours: each hour from the moment an aircraft’s brakes are released at the departure airport’s parking
place for the purpose of starting a flight until the moment the aircraft’s brakes are applied at the arrival airport’s
parking place.
CASK: operating expenses per ASK.
Equivalent aircraft: the number of aircraft available to Wizz Air in a particular period, reduced on a per aircraft
basis to reflect any proportion of the relevant period that an aircraft has been unavailable.
Ex-fuel CASK: operating expenses net of fuel expenses per ASK.
Flight hours: each hour from the moment the aircraft takes off from the runway for the purposes of flight until
the moment the aircraft lands at the runway of the arrival airport.
Load factor: the number of seats sold divided by the number of seats available.
PDP: the pre-delivery payments under the Group’s aircraft purchase arrangements.
Utilisation: the total block hours for a period divided by the total number of aircraft in the fleet during the
period and the number of days in the relevant period.
Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK): revenue passenger kilometres, the number of seat kilometres flown by
passengers who paid for their tickets.
RASK: passenger revenue divided by ASK.
Yield: the total revenue per RPK.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
26
STRATEGIC REPORT
KEY STATISTICS CONTINUED
Definition and reconciliation of non-statutory financial performance measures
Return on capital employed (ROCE) is adjusted operating profit after tax divided by average capital
employed, expressed as a percentage.
Average capital employed is the sum of annual average equity (excluding convertible debt) and capitalised
operating lease obligations, less annual average cash and cash equivalents.
Capitalised operating lease obligations is annual aircraft lease rental expenses multiplied by seven as an
estimate of total outstanding obligation.
€ million
Profit for the year
Interest element of operating lease payments (being 1/3 of aircraft rentals)
Effective tax rate for the year
Adjusted operating profit after tax
Average shareholders’ equity
Average cash and cash equivalents
Capitalised operating lease obligations
Average capital employed
ROCE (%)
2019
291.6
108.7
1.6%
393.9
1,385.1
(1,147.8)
2,282.0
2,519.3
15.6%
2018
275.1
92.1
3.8
353.2
1,123.9
(876.8)
1,934.1
2,181.2
16.2%
Leverage: net debt adjusted to include capitalised operating lease obligations divided by EBITDAR.
Net debt is interest bearing borrowings less cash and cash equivalents.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and rentals (EBITDAR) is profit (or loss) before net
financing costs (or gain), income tax expense (or credit), depreciation, amortisation and aircraft rentals.
€ million
Operating profit
Depreciation and amortization
Aircraft rentals
EBITDAR
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Cash and cash equivalents
Net debt
Capitalised operating lease obligations
Adjusted net debt
Leverage
2019
299.8
92.7
326.0
718.5
2.2
26.8
(1,316.0)
(1,287.0)
2,282.0
995.0
1.4
2018
293.0
90.6
276.3
659.9
5.3
26.9
(979.6)
(947.4)
1,934.1
986.7
1.5
Following the adoption of IFRS 16 capitalised lease obligations as in the calculation above would be replaced
by the lease liability determined under IFRS 16. The lease liability at the end of the 2019 financial year is
estimated to be €1,815 million (see Note 2). This 20 per cent. reduction in the obligation/liability will cause the
leverage ratio to drop to 0.7 for 2019 under IFRS 16.
Liquidity is cash and cash equivalents divided last twelve months’ revenue, expressed as a percentage.
€ million
Cash and cash equivalents
Revenue
Liquidity
2019
1,316.0
2,319.1
56.7%
2018
979.6
1,939.0
50.5%
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
27
STRATEGIC REPORT
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES
This section of the annual report sets out our risk management process and provides an overview of some of
the principal risks that could, if not appropriately dealt with, affect Wizz Air’s future success. Risk management
is a dynamic and ever-evolving area and the Company is committed to employing the best risk management
practice in order to identify and manage risks effectively.
Our risk management process
The Board is responsible for the Company’s risk management and it has delegated to the Audit Committee to
monitor the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s risk management systems. The Company has a
comprehensive enterprise risk management (ERM) process to support the achievement of business and
strategic goals. As part of our ERM process, risks are identified through a series of meetings with the
management team, analysed for likelihood and impact, and quantified. Risk response is determined depending
on the risk type and appetite. As part of this process, the internal Risk Council, involving the Company’s senior
management team and a number of other senior employees, meets regularly, to consider and update the
principal risks identified. The resulting principal risk report is then reviewed with the Audit Committee and
presented to the Board. These principal risks, many of which have been the subject of regular reporting and
discussion between senior management and the Board for some time, are detailed below. The Board is therefore
satisfied that it has carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the Company, including those
that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity.
Risks relating to the Group
Introduction
The key risks identified by the Risk Committee fall into seven broad groupings:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
information technology and cyber risk, including website availability, protection of our own and our
customers’ data and ensuring the availability of operations-critical systems;
external factors, such as the default of a partner financial institution, fuel cost, foreign exchange rates,
competition, general economic trends and geopolitical risk;
(cid:1) product development, making sure that we are making the best use of our capacity and ensuring that we
have access to the right airport infrastructure at the right price so that we can keep on delivering the
superior Wizz Air service at low fares across an ever wider network;
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
fleet development, ensuring the Company has the right number of aircraft available at the right time to
take advantage of commercial opportunities and grow in a disciplined way;
regulatory risk, making sure that we remain compliant with regulations affecting our business and
operations;
(cid:1) operations, including safety events and terrorist incidents;
(cid:1) human resources, ensuring we are able to recruit the right quality and the right number of colleagues to
support our ambition to grow or, once recruited, that they remain engaged and motivated and that the
Company has in place appropriate succession management for key colleagues; and
(cid:1)
climate risk.
Information technology and cyber risk
Wizz Air primarily is an e-business. During the 2019 financial year, 96 per cent. of bookings were made
through wizzair.com and mobile applications. We are therefore dependent on our information technology
systems to enable and manage ticket reservations, process payments, check in passengers, manage our traffic
network, perform flight operations and engage in other critical business tasks. Our website is our shop window
and therefore it is critical that it is functional, reliable and secure. While we outsource the hosting and operation
of some of these systems to external IT suppliers, we retain an experienced internal team to oversee the
operation of these systems and manage service level. We will continue to review our business-critical systems
to ensure that the appropriate level of back-up is in place and that there are reliable recovery procedures in
place. The Company has employed business continuity processes since its beginning and during the 2018
financial year, the Company’s business continuity plan was comprehensively reviewed and updated to ensure
that it remained appropriate and sufficient for the Company’s continued growth. The up-to-date state and the
operability of the business continuity plan is ensured through regular testing and maintenance.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
28
STRATEGIC REPORT
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED
Risks relating to the Group continued
Information technology and cyber risk continued
Cyber risk is a hugely important consideration for our business and is one of the areas closely monitored by
the Board. Our systems could be attacked in a number of ways and with varying outcomes – for example,
unavailability of wizzair.com or operations-critical systems or theft of our customers’ data that could result in
considerable loss of customer confidence. In the months leading up to the implementation of the General Data
Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) in May 2018 we completed a comprehensive review of the Company’s data
systems architecture and launched a combination of new processes, policies, and technological solutions
resulting in an increased data protection at Wizz Air. During the 2019 financial year, we have continued to
strengthen such processes, systems and policies and have engaged a Data Protection Officer. Cyber security
is a constantly evolving challenge and one of the key issues related to cyber security is our colleagues’
awareness of the risk and of the possible ways in which our business could be attacked and, therefore, a
comprehensive and compulsory e-learning training programme for all colleagues is maintained. Our in-house
IT security department continues to review emerging threats and the Board will be kept up to date on the
actions being taken to safeguard our Company.
External risks
We are a truly international business and, while we report in Euros, we transact in over 20 currencies. We
also make a large number of payments in US Dollars. Appreciation of the US Dollar against the Euro may
impact results and margins. Therefore, to reduce our exposure to currency fluctuations in respect of costs
incurred in US Dollars, we engage in Euro/US Dollar hedging in accordance with the Board-approved hedging
policy. In addition, and recognising the importance of the British Pound as accounting for around 16 per cent.
of the Company’s total revenues, we also engage in Euro/British Pound hedging, again in accordance with the
Board-approved hedging policy. In all cases, hedging transactions are subject to the approval of the Audit
Committee.
During the 2019 financial year fuel accounted for 33.1 per cent. of our total Group operating costs and a rise
in fuel prices could significantly affect our operating costs. We therefore hedge our aviation fuel cost in
accordance with a Board-approved hedging policy. The Audit Committee is involved in and approves each
hedging decision.
In the past few years, Wizz Air has seen its cash reserves continue to increase. We believe that a strong cash
position is a vital foundation for the Company’s continued, aggressive growth and its ability to capture
commercial opportunities as they arise. Therefore, we actively manage the safeguarding of our financial assets
and monitor the viability of our hedging counterparties. In fact, all of the Company’s cash is invested in
accordance with a Board-approved counterparty risk policy which assigns investment limits to each
counterparty based upon its credit rating.
Competition is one of the key risks to our business. Our competitors continuously strive to protect or gain
market share in markets in which we operate, perhaps by offering discounted fares or more attractive
schedules. Competition can, however, adversely affect revenues and so we constantly monitor our
competitors’ actions and the performance of our route network to ensure that we take both reactive and
proactive actions in a timely manner. Ultimately, our key competitive strength is our commitment to driving
our costs ever lower while delivering a superior service and building a loyal customer base. We firmly believe
that in tough market conditions lowest cost ultimately wins and therefore we are relentlessly committed to
the strictest cost discipline day in and day out.
Our business extends beyond the borders of the EU and into countries such as Russia, Turkey and Ukraine
and regions including the Caucasus, North Africa and the Middle East. We are exposed to global political
and economic events and trends. An economic downturn could affect demand for air travel. Some of the
regions we operate in have in the past experienced, and may also in the future be subject to further potential
political and economic instability caused by changes in governments, political deadlock in the legislative
process, contested election results, tension and local, regional or international conflicts, corruption among
governmental officials, social and ethnic unrest and currency instability. We maintain close relationships with
local authorities and, as an organisation, we are able to react quickly to adverse events.
The outcome of the Brexit vote continues to cause significant uncertainty for our business because,
notwithstanding the agreement-in-principle for an extended transition period, there is still overall uncertainty
on how the exit from the EU might happen. To ensure we are able to continue to fly a number of routes from
the United Kingdom to destinations outside the EU, as well as to enable the Company to capitalise on any
consolidation opportunities that might arise in the United Kingdom we already established Wizz Air UK, an
airline licensed in the United Kingdom. We continue a dialogue with various authorities to ensure that there is
a general understanding of the need to maintain access to the liberalised market.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
29
STRATEGIC REPORT
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED
Risks relating to the Group continued
External risks continued
Regardless of the outcome of Brexit, we believe diversification of our network and markets is a key part of
sustainable business strategy and we remain confident that CEE is a large addressable market which will
continue to provide opportunities for profitable growth should our UK business be adversely affected.
Product development
We do not just compete for customers, we compete for access to infrastructure too. Wizz Air enjoys high
growth – but to meet our ambitious growth plans, we require additional space in airport terminals, additional
take-off, landing and airport slots. Certain airports in which we operate may already be or become congested,
meaning we may not be able to secure access to those airports at our preferred times. We are also making
sure that we retain the slots we already have and we maintain close working relationships with the relevant
airport authorities and slot co-ordinators and we are continuously improving our scheduling and slot
management systems and processes.
Fleet development
In order to support our growth plans, we require additional aircraft. We put emphasis on new aircraft – we
currently operate one of the youngest fleets in Europe with an average age of just 4.8 years. Having a modern
and reliable fleet means we can utilise it for over twelve hours a day. For the business it means lower unit
operating costs, and for our customers, lower prices. On 7 March 2019 the Company celebrated the arrival of
the first Airbus A321neo ‘gamechanger’ aircraft, the most efficient narrow body aircraft today and likely to
remain that way over the next few years. Our order book with Airbus as at 31 March 2019 was comprised of 3
A321ceo, 72 A320ceo and 182 A321neo aircraft with deliveries schedule to take place between 2019 and 2026.
A large aircraft order is a significant financial commitment and so requires financing. To date, we have
financed all of our new aircraft deliveries through sale and leaseback arrangements. This will continue to be
the case for the remaining A320ceo-family deliveries through to the end of 2019, for which we already have in
place fully committed sale and leaseback financing. On the A321 neo program the combination of the sale and
leaseback and JOLCO financing is providing a diversified fleet financing structure on market low rates. We are
confident that, given the aircraft’s desirability as a result of its superior operating economics and Wizz Air’s
established strong financial track record, finance will be readily available on competitive terms in 2020 as well.
With the advance of technology, aircraft computer technology intended to make flight operations safer is
becoming more sophisticated and may sometimes fail leading to aircraft getting grounded. Similarly, design
flaws of aircraft components may lead to costly delays of aircraft delivery. We are in constant dialogue with
our key suppliers Airbus and Pratt & Whitney to ensure that we have sufficient capacity to deliver our planned
growth and to be sure that crews are trained to the highest standard possible and are adept at using the latest
aircraft technology innovations.
Regulatory risks
Even in a liberalised air traffic right environment, aviation remains a highly regulated industry. Wizz Air Hungary
relies on an air operator’s certificate (AOC) and operating licence issued by Hungary and Wizz Air UK relies
on an AOC and operating licence issued by the United Kingdom. In each case, the licences allow the airline to
operate air services both within Europe and to and from countries with which Europe has liberalised air traffic
agreements. Each operating licence requires the Company to be majority owned and effectively controlled by
qualifying nationals, which currently means nationals of the European Economic Area and Switzerland. If the
Company ceases to be majority owned and effectively controlled by qualifying nationals, then its operating
licence – and, so, its right to operate its business – could be at risk. The Company therefore closely monitors
the nationality of its Shareholders. The Board has set a limit (permitted maximum) of 49% of its issued Ordinary
Shares for ownership by non-qualifying nationals and the Board has the power to take action in relation to
non-qualifying Shareholder shareholdings to protect the Company’s operating licences. The Board receives a
report at each Board meeting of the level of share ownership by non-qualifying nationals.
In view of the consequences of a no-deal Brexit and as the outcome still remains uncertain, Wizz Air has held
discussion with the European Commission and with the Hungarian Civil Aviation Authority and established an
ownership and control contingency plan based on a specific EU Aviation Regulation published in March 2019.
A stop notice published by the Company on 17 April 2018 has been in effect since then, and will continue to
remain in place, effectively barring any non-Qualifying Nationals (which from Brexit will include UK nationals)
from purchasing ordinary shares in the Company. Next to that, an investor relations program aimed at moving
the Company’s shareholder base to the EU (excluding the UK) has been initiated. Finally, to the extent the
increase of Qualifying Nationals’ shareholding would remain insufficient, the Company would implement the
disenfranchisement of the voting rights of certain Non-Qualifying National holders of Ordinary Shares, such
that, Non-Qualifying Nationals would hold fewer than 49% of those ordinary shares to which voting rights are
attached.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
30
STRATEGIC REPORT
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED
Risks relating to the Group continued
Operational risks
An accident or incident, or terrorist attack, can adversely affect an airline’s reputation and customers’
willingness to travel with that airline.
At Wizz Air, our number one priority is the safety of our passengers and crew. Our aircraft fleet is young and
reliable, we use the services of world-class maintenance organisations and we have a strong safety culture. A
cross-functional safety council meets four times a year, involving both senior management as well as
operational staff, and reviews any issues which have arisen in the previous three months and the actions taken
as a consequence. In addition to this, we collect detailed data from all aspects of our operation in order to
identify trends, and relevant personnel from our Operations department meet twice a year to discuss any
trends identified in their area of operation and how they are being dealt with. We also operate an anonymous
safety reporting system, to enable our flight and cabin crew to report safety issues which are a concern to
them. The entry standards for our operating crew are high and our own Approved Training Organisation (ATO)
ensures that all of our pilots are trained to the highest standards. Wizz Air is a registered International Air
Transport Association’s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme operator, which helps us to ensure that
we have best-in-class airline safety management and control systems and processes.
Our experienced security team has an ongoing programme to ensure that the security of our operations and
the airports which we serve meet high standards. Our security team also maintains close contact with relevant
authorities in order to assess any potential security or other threats to our operations. Any serious threat will
be escalated to senior management. We have in the past suspended operations to destinations where the
safety of our passengers, crew, and aircraft cannot be guaranteed. In December 2015, Wizz Air Hungary Ltd.
was named as a company of strategic importance by the Hungarian Parliament and, as such, the Company
now enjoys enhanced security information and protection under the auspices of the Hungarian Constitution
Protection Office. Wizz Air has also joined the campaign launched by the European Union Aviation Safety
Agency’s (EASA) aiming to reduce the number of unruly passengers on all European flights and protect the
passenger’s right to a peaceful travel experience.
In October 2018, Wizz Air was awarded the highest 7-star safety ranking from the world’s only one-stop airline
safety and product rating agency AirlineRatings.com.
The safety rating for each airline is based on a comprehensive analysis utilizing information from the world’s
aviation governing body and leading association along with governments and historical data. Evaluation
criteria are focusing on such important elements as IOSA certification, FAA endorsement, condition and age
of the fleet, accident history, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety rating of the country of
origin, and other parameters. A 7-star safety rating, like in the case of Wizz Air, is awarded to airlines that meet
all the assessment criteria.
During the 2019 financial year we experienced significant challenges and an increased level of flight disruption
caused by European air traffic control due to national industrial relations issues. Wizz Air is continuing its
campaign for a unified pan-European air traffic management system that would lead to increased capacity
and decreasing flight disruption and maintaining a constant dialogue with the relevant European authorities.
Human resources
Wizz Air is a people business. We know that our people are the backbone of our business and it is their
dedication, day in, day out, that allows us to deliver our low-cost, quality service. But we know that we cannot
take our people for granted and that competition for the high quality people who we seek is keen and may
become even more so.
(cid:1) From time to time, pilots and other personnel can be in short supply. We invest a huge amount of time in
recruiting pilots and also training them to maintain our high standards. In November 2018, the opening of
our new 3,800-square metre state-of-the-art training centre in Budapest reaffirmed our commitment to
training excellence.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
31
STRATEGIC REPORT
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED
Risks relating to the Group continued
Human resources continued
(cid:1) We are proud that, to date, we have maintained a good relationship with our employees and we have not
experienced industrial unrest. We strive to make sure that this will remain the case, but we realise that
there can be no guarantee. We know that we need to ensure that we continue to motivate our colleagues.
Feedback is an essential part of this process – both giving and receiving – and we consider direct
communication between senior management and other employees as the best way of listening to our
employees’ concerns. Wizz Air People Council initiative regularly brings together employees representing
all areas of the business and is designed to facilitate an effective two-way communication between the
management and employees and to support the decision-making process on matters that affect all of us
within the Company, so that Wizz Air can continue to improve both as an airline and as an employer.
(cid:1) Our success to date has been driven also by our key personnel. Our continuing success will depend on
having the right people in those key positions. While, in the past, we have successfully recruited for those
positions, we recognise that we have a pool of talent within the Company and, during the 2019 financial
year, a completely new talent management programme was rolled-out across the Company’s office
functions. Succession of key personnel is a matter which we take extremely seriously and we shall continue
to develop our succession planning processes to ensure that we have colleagues of the right calibre to
lead the Company in the future.
Climate risk
As an airline, we recognise the risk related to oil consumption and CO2 emissions, which are considered a
cause of climate change.
Greenhouse gas emissions and their potential impacts relating to climate change is becoming an increasing
global regulatory focus. Aviation is already included in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the
Company expects to be part of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation
(CORSIA) when effective. In October 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted
CORSIA with the intention to create a single global market-based measure to achieve carbon-neutral growth
for international aviation after 2020, which can be achieved through airline purchases of carbon offset credits.
CORSIA is expected to increase operating costs for airlines that operate internationally.
While the precise impact of climate-related requirements continue to evolve, the Company takes its
responsibility towards the climate very seriously and is undertaking various measures that are expected to
help reduce its CO2 emissions over time, such as improving fuel efficiency through operational measures and
fleet renewal.
Until new regulations come into force and/or until pending regulations are finalized, future costs to comply
with such regulations remain uncertain but are likely to have a significant financial impact on our operating
costs, and the aviation industry as a whole over time. We continue to monitor these developments, however,
the precise nature of future requirements and their applicability to the Company are hard to predict.
József Váradi
Chief Executive Officer
31 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
32
GOVERNANCE
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
33
GOVERNANCE
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT
A COMPANY COMMITTED TO HIGH STANDARDS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Chairman’s statement on corporate governance
Wizz Air grew its business in F19 by close to 20 per cent. in terms of revenues and close to 17 per cent. in terms
of the number of customers travelling with the Company. During the course of F19, the value of the Company
increased to a point where it was, as at the end of F19, in the top 23% of the FTSE 250.
As the Company continues to grow, so the Directors recognise the importance of ensuring that the Company’s
corporate governance remains of a high standard, to maintain the trust that our investors have placed in the
Company.
As Chairman, I am pleased to see the commitment of our Directors to the Company’s business, with a number
spending much time outside formal Board meetings interacting with the Company’s management. During the
course of F19, a certain number of directorate changes occurred. On 1 June 2018, Mr. Barry Eccleston was
appointed as Independent Non-Executive Director and member of the Nomination Committee. A British
national, Mr. Eccleston had recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Americas Inc., where he was
responsible for all aspects of Airbus' commercial airplanes business in North America, a position he held since
2005. On 24 July 2018, the Board appointed Mr. Peter Agnefjäll as Independent Non-Executive Director. A
Swedish national, Mr. Agnefjäll was the President and Chief Executive Officer of IKEA Group from 2013 to 2017.
Mr. Agnefjäll was also appointed as a member of the Audit Committee. At the same time, John McMahon
retired from the Board after more than 6 years as an Independent Non-Executive Director. Mr. McMahon was
also the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director and a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees.
Upon retirement of Mr. McMahon, Simon Duffy was appointed as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.
Ms. Maria Kyriacou was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 25th September
2018. At the same time, Thierry de Preux retired from the Board after more than 6 years. A joint British and
Cypriot national, Ms. Kyriacou is currently President International ITV Studios, part of ITV plc. Maria oversees
ITV Studios' production companies across Europe and Australia, its growing US scripted business, plus
international distribution arm ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE). Ms. Kyriacou is also a member of
the Remuneration Committee.
One of the keys to the Company’s success to date has been its agility in responding to opportunities and issues
that develop. However, it is important that this agility is matched by a robust governance process over
significant decisions. I believe that one of the strengths of the Company’s Board is the willingness and ability
of the Directors to be involved in strategic discussions and support the Company’s management with their
decisions in often-challenging timeframes. For example, during F18 the Board has discussed on a number of
occasions the possible outcomes of the United Kingdom’s decision to exit the European Union, or Brexit.
During F18, the Board approved the implementation of an important part of the Company’s contingency plan
for Brexit, with the establishment of a new airline in the United Kingdom, Wizz Air UK. Wizz Air UK received
its Air Operator’s Certificate and Operating Licence and started operating on 3 May 2018 further
demonstrating Wizz Air’s commitment to Europe’s single largest aviation market. As well as being part of the
Company’s Brexit contingency strategy, Wizz Air UK also presents the Company with additional commercial
opportunities arising from any future consolidation in the United Kingdom airline market. As at 31 March 2019,
Wizz Air UK operated a fleet of 9 aircraft based in London Luton Airport.
During F19, Wizz Air fleet grew past the milestone of 100 aircraft and the first game-changing Airbus A321neo
aircraft was delivered, a significant milestone for the Company. The Airbus A321neo is powered by Pratt &
Whitney GTF engines, features the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a single class configuration and
offers Wizz Air maximum flexibility, fuel efficiency and lowest possible operating costs. The Wizz Air fleet was
112 aircraft at the end of March. To sustain this growth, the Wizz Air Pilot Academy programme was rolled out
in Hungary, following the successful launch in Poland, Bulgaria and Romania earlier and a state-of-the-art pilot
and cabin crew Wizz Training Center was inaugurated in Budapest. The facility currently operates two full
motion simulators and can train up to 300 flight and cabin crew members on a daily basis.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
34
GOVERNANCE
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT CONTINUED
A COMPANY COMMITTED TO HIGH STANDARDS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Chairman’s statement on corporate governance continued
With such significant developments taking place in the Company’s business, it is important the Board
continues to understand risks that have the potential to affect adversely the achievement of the Company’s
strategic objectives. The Company’s more structured enterprise risk management system has now been in
place for a full financial year, under the oversight of the Audit Committee. The Company’s Risk Council reports
to the Audit Committee on a quarterly basis, with the risk report being updated following meetings, facilitated
by Ernst & Young, between the Company’s Head of Internal Audit and individual risk owners, with periodic
updates then being given to the full Board.
Falling just after the end of F18, the Board took action to ensure that the aggregate shareholdings of a number
of shareholders who were not Qualifying Nationals, as defined in the Company’s Articles of Association, did
not exceed the Permitted Maximum, also as defined in the Company’s Articles of Association. Those measures
remain in place today but, again, this demonstrates that the Board is prepared to take decisive action to ensure
the protection of the Company’s interests and ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements. In addition
to such measures, based on a sector specific regulation issued by the European Union on 14 March 2019, the
Company has also developed a no-deal Brexit contingency plan aiming at ensuring its continuous compliance
with the ownership and control requirements should the United Kingdom leave the European Union without
a deal.
The Board thanks each and every one of our investors for the faith they have shown in the Company’s business
and, also, recognises the trust that the Shareholders have placed in the Board and senior management. Over
the course of the last year, a large number of meetings with investors were organised by senior management
and, in addition, I have also spoken to a number of Shareholders myself. Any concerns or comments raised
were fed back to the Board.
The Board has carried out an evaluation of its performance during the financial year ended 31 March 2018
through an internally facilitated process. The performance evaluation for the financial year ending 31 March
2019 has been externally facilitated through the appointment of an adviser.
Once again, I would stress that the trust that both investors and other stakeholders have placed in the Board
is not taken for granted. We will continue to develop our processes to ensure that our policy of ensuring high
standards of governance appropriate for the Company is maintained in the future and in a manner which is
appropriate for the Company’s continued fast rate of growth.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
35
GOVERNANCE
COMPLIANCE WITH THE UK CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
The Directors support high standards of corporate governance and it is the policy of the Company to comply
with current best practice in UK corporate governance to the extent appropriate for a company of its size. The
Board intends that the Company will comply fully with the requirements of the Corporate Governance Code
(July 2018) during the 2020 financial year, save as set out below:
(cid:1) William A. Franke, the Chairman, does not meet the independence criteria set out in the Corporate
Governance Code (provision 10), given that he is the managing partner of Indigo. However, given the
benefits to the Company of his recognised experience in the airline industry, the Board believes that Mr
Franke should continue as Chairman.
The Board considers that it and the Company have, during the financial year ended 31 March 2019, complied
with the Corporate Governance Code (April 2016), save as set out in the 2018 Annual Report for the Group.
We welcomed the publication by the FRC of its new UK Corporate Governance Code in July 2018 and its focus
on the themes of corporate and board culture, stakeholder engagement and sustainability, which are critical
factors for us as we partner with our stakeholders to build an enduring business.
The Corporate Governance Code is available for review on the Financial Reporting Council's website:
www.frc.org.uk.
Our key Shareholders
As at 31 March 2019, the Company had been notified pursuant to DTR 5 of the Financial Conduct Authority’s
Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules (DTRs) that the following Shareholders held more than 3.00 per cent.
of the Company’s issued Ordinary Shares:
Shareholder
Indigo Hungary LP
FMR LLC
The Capital Group Companies, Inc.
FIL Investments International
Indigo Maple Hill LP
Reported shareholding
15.83 per cent.
7.85 per cent.
5.30 per cent.
5.29 per cent.
4.79 per cent.
Reported number of shares
11,515,509
5,713,122
3,855,647
3,850,665
3,484,491
As at 23 May 2019, being the latest practicable date before the approval of the annual report and accounts,
the Company has not been notified of any changes to the interests stated above.
Changes in interests that have been notified to the Company pursuant to DTR 5 of the DTRs since 23 May 2018
can be found in the Regulatory News section of the Investor Relations page of the Company’s corporate
website: http://corporate.wizzair.com/en-GB/investor_relations/news/press_releases.
Our relationship with Indigo
On 31 March 2019, Indigo (Indigo Hungary LP and Indigo Maple Hill LP together) held 20.61 per cent. of the
Company’s issued Ordinary Shares, as well as 29,830,503 convertible shares of £0.0001 each in the capital of
the Company (“Convertible Shares”). The Convertible Shares do not have any right to participate in the
Company’s profits and are, save in very limited circumstances, non-voting. These limited circumstances include
the consideration of a resolution for the winding-up of the Company or the variation of the rights attaching to
the Convertible Shares or any variation of the rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares into which the
Convertible Shares may be converted.
Each Convertible Share may be converted into one Ordinary Share, as long as the ownership of the Company
remains compliant with applicable EU ownership and control rules. Indigo also holds a number of convertible
notes which may be converted into Ordinary Shares, again provided that the Company’s ownership remains
compliant with EU ownership and control rules. The terms of these convertible notes are governed by a note
purchase agreement dated 24 February 2015 and entered into between the Company, Wizz Air Hungary Ltd.
and Indigo. Our Chairman, William A. Franke, is the managing partner of Indigo.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
36
GOVERNANCE
COMPLIANCE WITH THE UK CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
CONTINUED
Our key Shareholders continued
Our relationship with Indigo continued
According to the Financial Conduct Authority’s Listing Rules (the “Listing Rules”), any person who exercises
or controls the exercise, on their own or together with any person with whom they are acting in concert, of
30 per cent. or more of the votes able to be cast on all or substantially all matters at general meetings of a
company are known as “controlling shareholders”. During its preparation for its initial public offering in
February 2015, the Company discussed with the UK Listing Authority that, in the circumstances, Indigo would
be treated as a controlling shareholder of the Company for these purposes. The Listing Rules require
companies with controlling shareholders to enter into a written and legally binding agreement, which is
intended to ensure that the controlling shareholder complies with certain independence provisions. The
agreement must contain undertakings that:
a)
transactions and arrangements with the controlling shareholder (and/or any of its associates) will be
conducted at arm’s length and on normal commercial terms;
b) neither the controlling shareholder nor any of its associates will take any action that would have the effect
of preventing the listed company from complying with its obligations under the Listing Rules; and
c) neither the controlling shareholder nor any of its associates will propose or procure the proposal of a
Shareholder resolution which is intended or appears to be intended to circumvent the proper application
of the Listing Rules.
Wizz Air entered into a relationship agreement with Indigo dated 24 February 2015. The key terms of this
relationship agreement are set out below.
Independence
Indigo has undertaken to exercise its voting powers in relation to the Company to ensure that the Company is
capable of operating and making decisions for the benefit of the Shareholders of the Company as a whole and
independently of Indigo at all times. In addition, Indigo has undertaken that it will not, and will procure that
none of its associates will: (a) take any action that would have the effect of preventing the Company from
complying with its obligations under the Listing Rules; and (b) propose or procure the proposal of a
Shareholder resolution which is intended or appears to be intended to circumvent the proper application of
the Listing Rules.
Board
Indigo may nominate: (a) three Directors to the Board if Indigo and its associates hold in excess of 30 per cent.
of the fully converted share capital of the Company (i.e. assuming the conversion in full of all Convertible
Shares and Convertible Notes); (b) two Directors to the Board if Indigo and its associates hold in excess of
20 per cent. of the fully converted share capital; or (c) one Director to the Board if Indigo and its associates
hold in excess of 10 per cent. of the fully converted share capital (each an “Indigo Director”). If Indigo and/or
its associates no longer hold at least 30, 20 or 10 per cent., respectively, of the fully converted share capital of
the Company, then Indigo has agreed to procure, insofar as it is legally able to do so, that the appropriate
number of Indigo Directors resigns from the Board unless a majority of the independent Directors resolve that
any Indigo Director should remain on the Board.
Indigo may not nominate any person to be an Indigo Director whose re-election has been proposed to, but
not approved by, the holders of Ordinary Shares in general meeting, or who has been removed from office by
a resolution of the holders of Ordinary Shares.
Indigo may also nominate one Indigo Director to each of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration
Committee until the earlier of: (a) twelve months from admission; or (b) Indigo and its associates ceasing to
hold at least 10 per cent. of the fully converted share capital of the Company.
The Board shall manage the Company independently of Indigo in accordance with the articles of association,
the Listing Rules and applicable law. The parties have also agreed that at least half of the Board (excluding the
Chairman) shall comprise independent Non-Executive Directors, the Nomination Committee shall consist of a
majority of independent Directors and, save as set out in the paragraph above, the Remuneration and Audit
Committees shall consist only of independent Directors.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
37
GOVERNANCE
COMPLIANCE WITH THE UK CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE
CONTINUED
Our key Shareholders continued
Our relationship with Indigo continued
Arm’s length transactions
All transactions and relationships between the Company and Indigo or any of their associates shall be
conducted at arm’s length, on a normal commercial basis and in accordance with the related party transaction
rules set out in Chapter 11 of the Listing Rules.
Provision of information and confidentiality
Indigo shall, subject to the Company’s obligations under all applicable laws (including, without limitation, the
Listing Rules and the DTRs), be provided with financial, management and/or other information relating to
any member of the Group as Indigo (or any of its associates) may reasonably require for the purposes
of any internal or external reporting requirements which the relevant party is required by internal compliance,
law or regulation to make. Indigo may disclose any such financial, management and/or other information
to its associates provided that: (a) Indigo will (and will procure that any associate to whom any information
is passed will) keep confidential any such information; (b) such information does not include information
relating to any transaction between the Company and Indigo or any of their associates obtained as a result
of an Indigo Director’s position as a Director; (c) disclosure would not result in the breach by the
Company of the DTRs or require the Company to make a public announcement; and (d) the name of such
persons to whom information is disclosed is added to the Company’s insider list.
Confirmation regarding compliance
The Board confirms that, since the entry into the relationship agreement, on 24 February 2015, until 30 May
2019, being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this report:
a)
b)
the Company has complied with the independence provisions included in the relationship agreement;
and
so far as the Company is aware, the independence provisions included in the relationship agreement have
been complied with by Indigo.
Engaging with our Shareholders
Wizz Air recognises the need to engage with its Shareholders.
Over the course of the past year, the Company’s Investor Relations department has arranged a number of
roadshows, timed around the release of financial results, as well as other meetings with investors. At the 2018
annual general meeting, attended by all of the Directors, both the Chairman and the Senior Independent Non-
Executive Director, along with the Chairmen of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee, were
available to answer questions from investors. The Chairman, the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
and the Chairmen of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee will be present at the 2019 annual
general meeting and, again, will be available to answer questions from investors.
A report on investor relations is presented by the Chief Financial Officer at each Board meeting, during which
feedback from meetings held by senior management with investors is provided. The Board is supplied with
copies of analysts’ and brokers’ briefings as they are received.
Reflecting the importance that the Company places on being transparent with its Shareholders, key
Shareholders were consulted on certain aspects of the Remuneration Policy set out on pages 58 to 62,
following the Shareholder vote and approval at the 2018 annual general meeting.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
38
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY
The Board of Directors
Effective oversight of Wizz Air’s business is the key function of the Board. Key to this oversight is the approval
of the Company’s long-term strategy and commercial objectives and these matters are reserved to the Board,
along with the approval of annual operating and capital expenditure budgets and any changes thereto. Other
key areas also reserved to the Board include financial reporting and controls, internal controls, the review and
approval of key contracts, Board membership, the remuneration of Directors and senior executive employees,
corporate governance and the review of safety issues.
Board membership
Wizz Air’s Board currently comprises one Executive and 9 Non-Executive Directors, following the resignation
of John McMahon and Thierry de Preux and the appointment of Barry Eccleston, Peter Agnefjäll and Maria
Kyriacou during F19. Further, on 16 April 2019 John R. Wilson resigned from the Board and Andrew Broderick
was appointed. The current Directors bring a wealth of experience from both the worldwide aviation industry
as well as other international industries and so together bring to the Company an appropriate breadth, depth
and balance of skills, knowledge, experience and expertise. The Directors who have served during the 2019
financial year are:
Position
Committee membership (as at 31 March 2019)
Name
Executive Director
József Váradi
Non-Executive Directors
William A. Franke
Thierry de Preux**
Guido Demuynck
Simon Duffy
Susan Hooper
Stephen L. Johnson
John McMahon*
John R. Wilson
Barry Eccleston***
Peter Agnefjäll****
Maria Kyriacou*****
* Resigned effective as of 24 July 2018.
Chief Executive Officer
Chairman
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director,
Senior Independent Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director,
Senior Independent Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Non-Executive Director
Nomination Committee
Remuneration Committee
Remuneration Committee
Audit Committee, Nomination Committee
Audit Committee, Remuneration
Committee
Audit Committee, Nomination Committee
Nomination Committee
Audit Committee
Remuneration Committee
** Resigned effective as of 25 September 2018.
*** Joined effective as of 1 June 2018.
**** Joined effective as of 24 July 2018.
*****Joined effective as of 25 September 2018.
William A. Franke, Chairman
Mr Franke has been Chairman of Wizz Air since 2004. The Chairman’s role is to lead the Board and ensure that
it operates effectively. Mr Franke is the founder and managing partner of Indigo, a private equity fund focused
on air transportation. He is currently chairman of Frontier Airlines, Inc and JetSMART SpA.. From 1998 to 2001,
Mr Franke was a managing partner of Newbridge Latin America, a private equity fund focused on Latin
America. Mr Franke was the chairman and chief executive officer of America West Airlines from 1993 to 2001,
and currently serves on the board of directors of Concesionaria Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A. de C.V., a
Mexican airline that does business as Volaris and is Chairman of EnerJet, a Canadian start-up airline. He served
as chairman of Spirit Airlines Inc., a United States airline, from 2006 to 2013 and Tiger Aviation Pte. Ltd, a
Singapore-based airline, from 2004 to 2009, and held directorships in Alpargatas S.A.I.C., an Argentina-based
footwear and textiles manufacturer, from 1996 to 2007, and Phelps Dodge Corporation, a mining company,
where he served as the lead outside director for several years, from 1980 to 2007. He has in the past served
on a number of publicly listed company boards of directors including ON Semiconductor, Valley National
Corporation, Southwest Forest Industries and the Circle K Corporation. Mr Franke has both undergraduate
and law degrees from Stanford University and an honorary PhD from Northern Arizona University. Mr Franke
was the 2019 recipient of the Excellence in Leadership Award at the 45th ATW Airline Industry Achievement
Awards.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
39
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
The Board of Directors continued
Board membership continued
József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer
Mr Váradi was one of the founders of Wizz Air in 2003. Mr Váradi worked at Procter & Gamble for ten years
between 1991 and 2001, and became sales director for global customers where he was responsible for major
clients throughout eleven EU countries. He then joined Malév Hungarian Airlines, the Hungarian state airline,
as chief commercial officer in 2001, before serving as its chief executive officer from 2001 to 2003. He is
currently a non-executive director of JetSMART SpA and he also held board memberships with companies
such as Lufthansa Technik Budapest (Supervisory Board, 2001–2003) and Mandala Airlines (Board of
Commissioners, 2007–2011). Mr Váradi won the Ernst & Young Hungary “Brave Innovator” award in 2007 and
the “Entrepreneur Of The Year” award in 2017. Mr Váradi holds a master’s degree in economics from the
Budapest University of Economic Sciences and a master’s degree in law from the University of London.
Guido Demuynck, Non-Executive Director
Mr Demuynck joined the Board in February 2014. Mr Demuynck spent more than 25 years with Koninklijke
Philips N.V., holding various roles including general manager, portable audio business line, general manager,
audio business group and Marantz, and chief executive, consumer electronics (as a member of the group
management committee of Royal Philips Electronics and senior vice president). He then held the positions of
board member, responsible for the mobile division, at KPN (Koninklijke) N.V. and chief executive of Kroymans
Corporation B.V. and Liquavista B.V.. Mr Demuynck was a member of the supervisory board and chairman of
the remuneration committee of TomTom N.V. and of Divitel Holding B.V.. He is a member of the board of
directors, member of the remuneration committee and chairman of the audit committee of Proximus N.V.
(previously Belgacom), a member of the supervisory board of Teleplan International N.V. and Aito B.V.. Mr
Demuynck has a master’s degree in applied economics (magna cum laude) from the University of Antwerp
and a master’s degree in marketing and distribution (magna cum laude) from the University of Ghent.
Simon Duffy, Non-Executive Director
Mr Duffy joined the Board in January 2014. Mr Duffy started his career at NM Rothschild & Sons Ltd and has
held positions at Shell International Petroleum Co, Bain & Co, Consolidated Gold Fields Plc, Guinness Plc, Thorn
EMI Plc (where he held the position of deputy chairman and group finance director), World Online International
B.V. (where he held the position of deputy chairman and chief executive), End2End AS (where he held the
position of chief executive), Orange SA (where he held the position of chief financial officer), NTL:Telewest
Inc. (where he held the position of executive vice chairman) and Tradus Plc (where he held the position of
executive chairman). Mr Duffy has extensive London Stock Exchange non-executive director experience. He
has sat on the board of, amongst others, Gartmore Plc, HMV Group Plc, GWR Group Plc and Imperial Tobacco
Plc. He is currently chairman of You View TV Ltd., which is a joint venture between British Telecom, TalkTalk
and all the leading broadcasters in the United Kingdom. He is a non-executive director of Modern Times Group
AB, one of Europe’s largest broadcasting companies listed on the Stockholm Exchange, and of Telit
Communications Plc, a leading company in the IoT (internet of things) sector listed in London. He is chairman
of the audit committee at both companies. Mr Duffy has a BA in philosophy, politics and economics from
Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Susan Hooper, Non-Executive Director
Ms Hooper was appointed to the Board of Directors as a Non-Executive Director in March 2016 and serves on
Wizz Air's Audit and Remuneration Committees. A UK national, Ms Hooper was managing director of British
Gas Services, leading the service and repair, central heating installations, electrical services and Dyno-Rod
business units until November 2014. She joined British Gas from the Acromas Group, where she was chief
executive of the travel division, responsible for Saga holidays and hotels, Saga cruises, Spirit of Adventure
cruises, Titan Travel and the travel division of the AA. Previously, Ms Hooper held senior roles at Royal
Caribbean International, Avis Europe, PepsiCo International, McKinsey & Company and Saatchi & Saatchi.
During her time with PepsiCo International, Ms Hooper spent over five years based in Central and Eastern
European countries. She is currently a non-executive director of Affinity Water Ltd. and The Rank Group plc,
as well as being an advisory board member of LUISS Business School in Rome. Ms Hooper recently became
non-executive board member of the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) of the UK. From
2011 to 2014 she was a non-executive director of Whitbread PLC and has held several other non-executive
directorships, including at First Choice plc, Transcom SA, Royal and Sun Alliance Group plc and Courtaulds
Textiles Plc. Ms Hooper is currently a non-executive director of Uber UK, Affinity Water Ltd., The Rank Group
plc and the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU).
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
40
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
The Board of Directors continued
Board membership continued
Stephen L. Johnson, Non-Executive Director
Mr Johnson joined the Board in 2004, left the Board in 2009 and was re-appointed as a Non-Executive Director
in 2011. Mr Johnson is executive vice president, corporate affairs for American Airlines Group Inc. and its
principal subsidiary, American Airlines, Inc. Previously, Mr Johnson served as executive vice president,
corporate and government affairs for US Airways. Prior to joining US Airways in 2009, Mr Johnson was a
partner at Indigo from 2003 to 2009. Between 1995 and 2003, Mr Johnson held a variety of positions with
America West Holdings Corporation prior to its merger with US Airways Group, including executive vice
president, corporate. Prior to joining America West, Mr Johnson served as senior vice president and general
counsel at GPA Group plc, an aircraft leasing company, and as an attorney at Seattle-based law firm Bogle &
Gates, where he specialised in corporate and aircraft finance and taxation. Mr Johnson earned his MBA and
Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor of arts in economics from California
State University, Sacramento.
John R. Wilson, Non-Executive Director
Mr Wilson has been a member of the Board since 2005 and a principal of Indigo since 2004. Mr Wilson is a
member of the board of directors of Frontier Airlines, Inc., together with its holding companies, Frontier Airlines
Holdings, Inc. and Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. Mr. Wilson is also a member of the board of directors of
JetSMART SpA.. Prior to joining Indigo he served at America West Airlines from 1997 to 2004 as the vice
president of financial planning and analysis, vice president of operations finance and in other senior finance
positions. From 1991 to 1997 he was employed by Northwest Airlines where he last served as director of finance
for Asian operations based in Tokyo, Japan. Mr Wilson served on the board of Spirit Airlines Inc. from 2009 to
2013 and served on the board of Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.P.I. de C.V. from 2010 to 2012. Mr Wilson
has an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and an undergraduate degree in
finance from Texas Tech University. John retired from the board in April 2019.
Peter Agnefjäll, Non-Executive Director
Mr. Agnefjäll joined the Board in July 2018. A Swedish national, Mr. Agnefjäll was the President and Chief
Executive Officer of IKEA Group from 2013 to 2017. Following his graduation as a Master of Business
Administration from the University of Linköping in 1995, Mr. Agnefjäll joined IKEA's trainee programme in 1995
and he was subsequently promoted a number of times within the group, including to roles acting as the
assistant to former Chief Executive Officers as well as the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad before finally being
promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer. Peter serves on the board of directors of Orkla ASA, a
leading supplier of branded consumer goods listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. In addition to that he serves
on the advisory board of Deichmann Group, a family owned European footwear retailer, and on the supervisory
board of Ahold Delhaize, a Dutch retail group listed on Euronext.
Andrew S. Broderick, Non-Executive Director
Mr. Broderick joined the Board in April 2019. Mr. Broderick has been a Director of Indigo Partners LLC since
July 2008. Mr. Broderick has served on the board of directors of Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc., an airline based
in the United States, since January 2018 and JetSMART Airlines SpA, an airline based in Chile, since September
2018. Additionally, he has served as an alternate on the board of directors for Concesionaria Vuela Compañía
de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V., an airline based in Mexico doing business as Volaris, since July 2010. Prior to joining
Indigo, Mr. Broderick was employed at a macroeconomic hedge fund and a stock-option valuation firm. Mr.
Broderick holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Spanish from Arizona State University and a Masters of
Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Barry Eccleston, Non-Executive Director
Mr. Eccleston joined the Board in May 2018. A British national, Mr. Eccleston recently retired as Chief Executive
Officer of Airbus Americas Inc., where he was responsible for all aspects of Airbus' commercial airplanes
business in North America, a position he held since 2005. Prior to this, Mr. Eccleston was VP/GM for
Honeywell's Propulsion Systems Enterprise and had earlier served as Honeywell's VP Commercial Aerospace
for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before joining Honeywell in 2002, he was Executive VP of Fairchild Dornier
Corporation, a provider of Regional Aircraft. He started his career with Rolls Royce where he held several
senior positions, culminating as CEO of International Aero Engines, a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney. Mr
Eccleston holds a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Loughborough University and
completed the International Executive Program at the IMD in Lausanne, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from
Vaughn College of Aeronautics. He past Chairman of the British-American Business Association in Washington
DC., past President of The Wings Club of New York, and has served on the Boards of other industry
Associations. He is currently an outside director of FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd, a Canadian public
company, and a past outside director at Vector Aerospace Corporation in Canada. In Her Majesty The Queen's
New Year 2019 Honours List, Mr. Eccleston was appointed an O.B.E.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
The Board of Directors continued
Board membership continued
Maria Kyriacou, Non-Executive Director
Ms. Kyriacou joined the board as an independent non-executive member in September 2018 and appointed as
an additional member of the Remuneration Committee with effect from 25th September 2018. Ms. Kyriacou
started her career with PwC in their audit and advisory division, before joining the finance team at The Walt
Disney Company. She held a number of positions with The Walt Disney Company over a 15 year term
culminating in the role of Senior Vice President Digital Media Distribution EMEA. In 2010, Ms. Kyriacou was
recruited by ITV Studios as Managing Director of Global Entertainment, becoming Managing Director of Global
Entertainment and Rest of World Studios before being promoted into her current role in 2016 where she leads
a multi-discipline divisional executive team. A joint British and Cypriot national, Ms. Kyriacou is currently
President International ITV Studios, part of ITV plc. Maria oversees ITV Studios’ production companies across
Europe and Australia, its growing US scripted business, plus international distribution arm ITV Studios Global
Entertainment (ITVS GE).
Independence
The UK Corporate Governance Code recommends that at least half the members (excluding the chairman) of
the board of directors of a company with a premium listing should be non-executive directors, determined by
the board to be independent in character and judgment and free from relationships or circumstances which
are likely to affect, or could appear to affect, their judgment.
The Board has considered the independence of the Company’s Non-Executive Directors and has
concluded that:
a) William A. Franke, the Chairman, does not meet the independence criteria set out in the Corporate
Governance Code, given that he is the managing partner of Indigo (a significant Shareholder). However,
given the benefits to the Company of his recognised experience in the airline industry, the Board believes
that it is in the Company’s best interest that Mr Franke should continue as Chairman of Wizz Air.
b) Stephen L. Johnson is not considered to be an independent Non-Executive Director given his past
position with Indigo.
c)
John R. Wilson is not considered to be an independent Non-Executive Director as he is a principal of Indigo.
John R. Wilson retired from the Board as of 16 April 2019.
d) Although not relevant for FY19, Andrew Broderick, who was appointed effective from 16 April 2019 is not
considered to be an independent Non-Executive Director as he is a director of Indigo.
Other than William A. Franke, John R. Wilson, Andrew Broderick and Stephen L. Johnson, the Company regards
all of its Non-Executive Directors, namely, Guido Demuynck, Simon Duffy, Susan Hooper, Barry Eccleston,
Peter Agnefjäll, Maria Kyriacou, as independent Non-Executive Directors within the meaning of “independent”
as defined in the Corporate Governance Code and free from any business or other relationship which could
materially interfere with the exercise of their independent judgment. Accordingly, as an absolute majority of
the Directors are independent Non-Executive Directors, the Company complies with the requirement of the
Corporate Governance Code that at least half of the board (excluding the chairman) of a company with a
premium listing should comprise independent non-executive directors.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
The Board of Directors continued
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
The Corporate Governance Code recommends that the Board should appoint one of its independent
Non-Executive Directors as the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director. The Senior Independent
Non-Executive Director should be available to Shareholders if they have concerns that contact through
the normal channels of the Chairman or Chief Executive Officer has failed to resolve or where such contact
is inappropriate. After John McMahon retired in July 2018, Simon Duffy has been appointed as the Company’s
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.
Independent Non-Executive Director overseeing engagement with employees
In order to strengthen workforce engagement, Wizz Air has decided to appoint an independent non-executive
director to oversee engagement with employees. Mr. Barry Eccleston, who joined the Board of Wizz Air
Holdings Plc on 1 June 2018, was appointed as independent non-executive director overseeing engagement
with employees from 1 January 2019.
In his role, Mr. Eccleston ensures the employee voice reaches the boardroom. As at 31 March 2019, Mr.
Eccleston has visited three of the largest bases in Wizz Air network, has attended sessions of the Wizz People
Council, has organized a meeting between all Wizz People Council members and the Board, has delivered
floor talks to Wizz Air office employees and has reported back to the Board.
Senior management team
To reflect the Company’s growth and structural evolution, effective from 1 January 2019, organizational
changes took place with the objectives of enhancing the leadership capacity and strengthening the Group’s
corporate governance structure. In that respect, József Váradi was appointed to Group Chief Executive Officer
at Wizz Air Holdings Plc, assuming responsibility for the overall operations of the Company that include Wizz
Air Hungary Ltd. and Wizz Air UK Ltd. At the same time, Stephen Jones was appointed Deputy Chief Executive
Officer and Managing Director of Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. Owain Jones was appointed as Managing Director of
Wizz Air UK Ltd. on 1 September 2018.
The Group Chief Executive Officer and the senior management team are responsible for the management of
the Group’s business and implementation of the Group’s strategy on a day-to-day basis.
As at 30 May 2019, the Group’s senior management team, in addition to the Group Chief Executive Officer, is:
Wizz Air Holdings Plc:
Name
Diederik Pen
Marion Geoffroy
Wizz Air Hungary Limited:
Name
Stephen Jones
Iain Wetherall
Johan Eidhagen
Heiko Holm
George Michalopoulos
Joel Goldberg
András Sebők
Wizz Air UK Limited:
Name
Owain Jones
Position
Executive Vice President and
Group Chief Operations Officer
Chief Corporate Officer
Position
Deputy Chief Executive Officer and
Managing Director
Chief Financial Officer
Chief People and Marketing Officer
Chief Operations Officer
Chief Commercial Officer
Chief Digital Officer
Chief Supply Chain Officer
Position
Managing Director
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
Senior management team continued
Stephen Jones, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Mr. Jones joined Wizz Air in October 2017 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President and
was appointed to Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director as of 1 January 2019. Mr Jones, who
is a national of both New Zealand and the United Kingdom, was the Chief Strategy, Network and Alliances
Officer at Air New Zealand since 2013 during which time he was responsible for the airline's overall corporate
strategy, network development, alliances and sustainability. He oversaw the airline's tightly cost-managed
response to significant domestic competition from low cost carriers as well as the turnaround of the airline's
international business in the face of severe competition from many Asian, Middle Eastern and low cost carriers
in the trans-Tasman market, one of the most competitive markets in the world. Prior to this role, Mr Jones held
a number of other roles in Air New Zealand, including general manager of their low cost carrier Freedom Air,
general manager of the airline's domestic business unit and Tasman and Pacific Islands business unit as well as
general manager of investor relations and financial planning, following the airline's recapitalization in 2003. He
also served as Chairman of the Star Alliance Management Board and the Star Alliance Strategy Committee.
Diederik Pen, Executive Vice President and Group Chief Operations Officer
Mr Pen joined Wizz Air in January 2013 as Chief Operations Officer, becoming Accountable Manager in
September 2013. He was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer in April 2017 and
to Executive Vice President and Group Chief Operations Officer in January 2019. Prior to joining Martinair
Holland in 2006, Mr Pen worked for Virgin Blue Airlines in Australia from 2002 to 2006 as head of ground
operations, for Brisbane Airport Corporation in Australia as general manager of commercial services and for
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol as manager of commercial services. Mr Pen has a master of business
administration in business economics from the University of Amsterdam.
Iain Wetherall, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Wetherall joined Wizz Air in July 2011 as Head of Corporate Finance and, following the Company's initial
public offering in 2015, he also led the Company's investor relations function before taking on the Head of
Financial Planning & Control and Investor Relations in September 2016. Mr. Wetherall was promoted to Chief
Financial Officer with effect from August 2017 responsible for the accounting and tax, financial planning and
controlling and corporate finance organizations. He is a chartered accountant, holds an Advanced Treasury
Diploma from the Association of Corporate Treasurers, a Securities and Investment Diploma from the
Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments and was a Securities Representative authorized by the
Securities and Futures Authority (now Financial Conduct Authority). Prior to Wizz Air, Mr. Wetherall gained
experience in tax & treasury, corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions, accounting, audit, corporate
governance, internal control and consulting in various finance roles for Royal Ahold, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
KPMG and Singer & Friedlander Bank Limited.
Johan Eidhagen, Chief People and Marketing Officer
Mr. Eidhagen joined Wizz Air in January 2015 as Head of Brand and Marketing and was appointed Chief
Marketing Officer effective 1 February 2016 and Chief People and Marketing Officer effective 1 April 2019.
Before joining Wizz Air Mr Eidhagen built an extensive sales and marketing career at Nokia, holding several
senior global and regional marketing positions. He joined Nokia in 1998 from a background in retail and was
head of marketing for the Nordic region until 2004, when he moved to Nokia HQ in Finland to run global
marketing services for the entertainment category. Between 2005 and 2007 he was based in New York as the
director of marketing for Nokia Multimedia in North America before returning to Finland where he was director
and head of marketing for the Nokia Nseries Category. In 2009 he became country manager for Nokia in
Sweden and was appointed as managing director for the Scandinavian region in 2011. Mr Eidhagen is a native
of Stockholm and is a DIHM marketing graduate from the IHM Business School in Stockholm.
Heiko Holm, Chief Operations Officer
Mr. Holm joined Wizz Air in 2015 as Head of Technical Services. Mr. Holm graduated from the University of
Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany as an Engineer specialized in Aircraft Construction and Design and
went on to build a successful career with Lufthansa Technik, ultimately becoming the Director of Operations
for Lufthansa Technik in Shenzhen, China, from where he joined Wizz Air.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
Senior management team continued
Owain Jones, Managing Director, Wizz Air UK
Mr. Jones joined Wizz Air as General Counsel in 2010, was promoted to Chief Corporate Officer in June 2014
and appointed as Managing Director of Wizz Air UK in September 2018. Mr Jones is a solicitor of the Supreme
Court of England and Wales. Having trained at Nicholson Graham & Jones (1994 to 1996), Mr Jones joined
Wilde Sapte (now Dentons LLP) in 1996 as a solicitor in its aviation group, specialising in finance and regulatory
matters. He spent time in the firm’s Paris and Hong Kong offices before being appointed a partner in 2006,
following which he spent three years in the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, becoming acting managing partner of the
office. He left the firm in 2009 to spend 18 months training for a frozen air transport pilot’s licence with CTC
Aviation Training. Mr Jones holds a bachelor of laws degree from University College London.
George Michalopoulos, Chief Commercial Officer
Mr. Michalopoulos joined Wizz Air in 2010 as Head of Pricing and Revenue Management and was then
promoted to Head of Network Development, Scheduling and Sales in May 2015. Prior to Wizz Air,
Mr Michalopoulos built an extensive commercial and revenue career at Flybaboo and Blu-Express.
Mr Michalopoulos holds both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Management Science and Engineering
from Stanford University.
András Sebők, Chief Supply Chain Officer
Mr. Sebők was one of the first employees of Wizz Air, joining in 2004 as Head of Treasury and Controlling and
spending 15 years building an extensive career with the airline, overseeing various financial functions such as
Treasury, Financial Planning and Controlling, Fleet Acquisition and Corporate Finance. Mr. Sebők was
promoted to Chief Supply Chain Officer with effect from 1 April 2019 responsible for fleet acquisition, airport
development, purchasing and facility management. Before joining Wizz Mr. Sebők worked in various positions
in finance including being the CFO of Aeroplex Central Europe. Mr. Sebők is Hungarian and holds a degree in
Banking, Corporate Finance and Securities Law from Eötvös Loránd University.
Joel Goldberg, Chief Digital Officer
Mr. Goldberg joined Wizz Air in October 2018 as Chief Digital Officer, a newly created position. Mr. Goldberg
is responsible for Wizz Air’s E-commerce, Data Analytics and Automation, IT Innovation and IT Infrastructure
and Services functions reporting to the company’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Goldberg was formerly
Senior Director Technology, Europe for Nike. Prior to this role, Mr. Goldberg worked in executive IT roles at
various multinational companies including G4S, APMaersk and DHL Express.
Marion Geoffroy, Chief Corporate Officer
Ms. Geoffroy joined Wizz Air as Head of Legal and General Counsel in March 2015. Between 2000 and 2011,
Ms. Geoffroy held senior leadership roles in the Legal department of Air France-KLM. In 2011, she joined
Verlingue Insurance Brokers where she served as General Counsel for 4 years. She was appointed Chief
Corporate Officer in September 2018 overseeing the Legal, Data Protection and Health and Safety
departments and also assumes the responsibility of Corporate Secretary. Ms. Geoffroy holds a Master of Laws
(LL.M.) from Paris XI University (France), a Lawyer-Linguist Master from ISIT (Paris, France), a law degree from
Philipps University (Marburg, Germany) and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from McGill University Institute of Air and
Space Law (Montreal, Canada).
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
Board Committees
The Directors have established an Audit Committee, a Remuneration Committee and a Nomination
Committee. The terms of reference of the Committees have been drawn up in accordance with the provisions
of the Corporate Governance Code. A summary of the terms of reference of the Committees is set out below.
Each Committee and each Director has the authority to seek independent professional advice where necessary
to discharge their respective duties, in each case at the Company’s expense.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee’s duties, as set out in its terms of reference, include:
a) monitoring the integrity of the financial statements of the Company, including its annual and semi-annual
reports, interim management statements, preliminary results announcements and any other formal
announcement relating to its financial performance;
b)
reviewing significant financial reporting issues and judgments which they contain having regard to
matters communicated to it by the auditors;
c) where requested by the Board, reviewing the content of the annual report and accounts and advising the
Board on whether, taken as a whole, it is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information
necessary for Shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model and strategy;
d) keeping under review the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s internal financial controls and
internal control and risk management systems;
e)
reviewing the adequacy and security of the Company’s arrangements for its employees and contractors
to raise concerns, in confidence, about possible wrongdoing in financial reporting or other matters. The
Audit Committee shall ensure that these arrangements allow proportionate and independent
investigation of such matters and appropriate follow-up action;
f) monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of the Company’s Internal Audit function in the context of the
Company’s overall risk management system;
g) considering and approving the remit of the Internal Audit function and ensuring it has adequate resources
and appropriate access to information to enable it to perform its function effectively and in accordance
with the relevant professional standards. The Audit Committee shall also ensure the Internal Audit
function has adequate standing and is free from management or other restrictions;
h) meeting the Company’s head of the Internal Audit function at least once a year, without management
being present, to discuss its remit and any issues arising from the internal audits carried out. In addition,
the Audit Committee shall ensure that the Company’s head of the Internal Audit function has the right of
direct access to the Chairman, the Audit Committee Chairman and the rest of the Audit Committee, and
is accountable to the Audit Committee;
i)
considering and making recommendations to the Board, to be put to Shareholders for approval at the
annual general meeting, in relation to the appointment, re-appointment and removal of the Company’s
external auditors. The Audit Committee shall oversee the selection process for new auditors and if
auditors resign the Audit Committee shall investigate the issues leading to this and decide whether any
action is required;
j)
overseeing the relationship with the external auditors including (but not limited to):
I.
II.
assessing annually their independence and objectivity taking into account relevant UK professional
and regulatory requirements and the relationship with the external auditors as a whole, including the
provision of any non-audit services; and
satisfying itself that there are no relationships (such as family, employment, investment, financial or
business) between the external auditors and the Company (other than in the ordinary course of
business) which could adversely affect the auditors’ independence and objectivity;
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
46
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
Board Committees continued
Audit Committee continued
k) meeting regularly with the external auditors, including once at the planning stage before the audit and
once after the audit at the reporting stage. The Audit Committee shall meet the external auditors at least
once a year, without management being present, to discuss their remit and any issues arising from the
audit;
l)
reviewing and approving the annual audit plan and ensuring that it is consistent with the scope of the
audit engagement having regard to the seniority, expertise and experience of the audit team; and
m) reviewing the findings of the audit with the external auditors. This shall include but not be limited to
the following:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
a discussion of any major issues which arose during the audit;
any accounting and audit judgments;
levels of errors identified during the audit; and
the effectiveness of the audit process.
The Corporate Governance Code recommends that the Audit Committee should comprise at least three
members, who should all be independent Non-Executive Directors, and that at least one member should have
recent and relevant financial experience. During the financial year ended 31 March 2019, the membership of
the Company’s Audit Committee comprised three members, namely Simon Duffy, Susan Hooper and
John McMahon followed by Peter Agnefjäll upon retirement of John McMahon, all of whom are independent
Non-Executive Directors. No members of the Audit Committee have links with the Company’s external
auditors. Mr Duffy is considered by the Board to have recent and relevant financial experience and is Chairman
of the Audit Committee.
The Company therefore considers that it complies with the Corporate Governance Code recommendation
regarding the composition of the Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee formally meets at least three times per year and otherwise as required. The Chief
Executive Officer, other Directors and representatives from the Finance function of the Company may attend
and speak at meetings of the Audit Committee. The Company’s external auditors and the Chief Financial
Officer are invited to attend meetings of the Audit Committee on a regular basis. The Company’s Head of
Internal Audit, along with the retained external firm of internal auditors, also attend the Audit Committee’s
meetings to report on internal audit matters. Following each meeting, the Chairman of the Audit Committee
reports to the Board on the significant items discussed during the Audit Committee’s meeting. The Audit
Committee met on eight occasions during the 2019 financial year (including telephonic meetings). In addition
to the formal meetings, the Audit Committee is in regular contact with relevant management in connection
with, for example, the implementation of the Group’s hedging strategy.
Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee is responsible for setting the Remuneration Policy for all Executive Directors
and the Chairman, including pension rights and any compensation payments, and recommending and
monitoring the remuneration of the senior managers. Non-Executive Directors’ fees are determined by the full
Board.
The objective of the Company’s Remuneration Policy is to attract, retain and motivate executive management
of the quality required to run the Company successfully without paying more than is necessary, having regard
to the views of Shareholders and other stakeholders.
The Remuneration Committee is also responsible for making recommendations for the grants of awards under
the Company’s share option schemes. In accordance with the Remuneration Committee’s terms of reference,
no Director may participate in discussions relating to his own terms and conditions of remuneration.
The Corporate Governance Code provides that the Remuneration Committee should comprise at least three
members, all of whom should be independent Non-Executive Directors. During the financial year ended 31
March 2019, the membership of the Company’s Remuneration Committee comprised three members, namely
Guido Demuynck, Susan Hooper and Thierry de Preux followed by Maria Kyriacou upon retirement of Thierry
de Preux, all of whom are independent Non-Executive Directors. The Chairman of the Remuneration
Committee is Mr Demuynck.
The Company therefore considers that it complies with the Corporate Governance Code recommendations
regarding the composition of the Remuneration Committee.
The Remuneration Committee meets formally at least twice each year and otherwise as required. There were
seven meetings of the Remuneration Committee during the 2019 financial year.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
47
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
Board Committees continued
Nomination Committee
The Nomination Committee assists the Board in discharging its responsibilities relating to the composition of
the Board. The Nomination Committee is responsible for evaluating the balance of skills, knowledge and
experience on the Board, the size, structure and composition of the Board, and retirements and appointments
of additional and replacement Directors, and will make appropriate recommendations to the Board on such
matters. While a number of Directors were initially appointed to the Board under investor appointment rights,
the most recent appointments were conducted through Korn/Ferry, which has no other connections with the
Company.
The Corporate Governance Code provides that a majority of the members of the Nomination Committee
should be independent Non-Executive Directors. The Company’s Nomination Committee is comprised of three
members, namely William A. Franke, Simon Duffy and John McMahon followed by Barry Eccleston upon
retirement of John McMahon. The Chairman of the Nomination Committee is Mr Franke. The Company
therefore considers that it complies with the Corporate Governance Code’s recommendations regarding the
composition of the Nomination Committee.
The Company recognises the importance to the Company of diversity, including gender equality. The
Company’s Code of Ethics is unequivocal that discriminatory practices will not be tolerated and that people
will be judged on the basis of their performance and ability to do their jobs and not on any other basis. The
Nomination Committee will work further to ensure that, when the opportunity presents itself, diversity is
properly reflected in the Board and in the Company’s senior management. The Company believes that this
commitment is demonstrated by recent appointments at both Director and senior management level.
The Nomination Committee is scheduled to meet formally at least twice a year and otherwise as required.
There were six meetings of the Nomination Committee during the 2019 financial year and, in between these
meetings, members of the Nomination Committee advised senior management on the appointment of Non-
Executive Directors and on various senior management appointments, including the Chief Digital Officer.
Interviews of candidates for each of these positions were also conducted by the members of the Nomination
Committee. Candidates for the Non-Executive Directors were interviewed by the members of the Nomination
Committee.
Attendance at Board meetings
The following table sets out the attendance by Director at the Board and Committee meetings held during the
2019 financial year.
Board
attended/total
Audit
attended/total
Remuneration
attended/total
Nomination
attended/total
Executive Director
József Váradi
Non-Executive Directors
William A. Franke
Guido Demuynck
Simon Duffy
Thierry de Preux*
Susan Hooper
Stephen L. Johnson
John McMahon**
John R. Wilson
Barry Eccleston***
Peter Agnefjäll****
Maria Kyriacou*****
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
3/3
8/8
7/8
2/2
7/8
7/7
7/7
6/6
8/8*
7/7*
6/6*
-
-
8/8
-
8/8
-
3/3
-
-
6/6
-
-
7/7
-
3/3
7/7
-
-
-
-
-
4/5
6/6
-
6/6
-
-
-
2/2
-
5/5
-
-
*
The Executive Director was invited to attend these various Committee meetings in order to discuss certain matters but did
not have a vote. Occasionally also Non-Executive Directors attend meetings of Committees that they are not a member of –
these cases are not reflected in this table.
* Resigned effective as of 25 September 2018.
** Resigned effective as of 24 July 2018.
*** Joined effective as of 1 June 2018.
**** Joined effective as of 24 July 2018.
*****Joined effective as of 25 September 2018.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
48
GOVERNANCE
MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY CONTINUED
Board procedures
At least five Board meetings are scheduled during each financial year. At these meetings, the Directors meet
with Senior Executives to receive detailed updates on Wizz Air’s business and operations and to discuss the
Company’s strategy. Prior to these meetings, each Director receives an information pack containing a
comprehensive review of the Company’s business as well as detailed proposals for approval of transactions
and developments falling within the Board’s remit. The Company believes that this enables each Director
properly to discharge his or her responsibilities. At each Board meeting, Directors who have a conflict of
interest in any agenda item declare that interest and are not entitled to vote on that agenda item.
A number of key strategic and commercial decisions require Board approval and, as and when any such
decision is needed outside the scheduled meeting cycle, an ad hoc telephone Board meeting may be arranged.
In general, therefore, it is anticipated that there will be around ten Board meetings in total during each
financial year.
Newly appointed Non-Executive Directors meet with the Company’s senior management and visit Wizz Air’s
operational headquarters to ensure that they have a thorough understanding of the Company’s business.
Wizz Air maintains directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. This insurance covers any claim that may be
brought against the Directors in the exercise of their duties.
The Company has adopted a Share Dealing Policy that reflects and incorporates the provisions of the UK
Listing Authority’s Model Code. As a consequence, the Directors as well as certain designated employees must
obtain clearance from the Company’s Chairman before dealing in the Company’s shares and are prohibited
from dealing at all during certain periods as set out in the Model Code. The Share Dealing Policy was updated
to reflect the requirements of the EU Market Abuse Regulation which came into effect on 3 July 2016.
Finally, it is proposed that, in accordance with the recommendations of the UK Corporate Governance Code,
all Directors will offer themselves for re-election at the 2019 annual general meeting.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
49
GOVERNANCE
REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
Wizz Air has grown significantly and successfully as a result, in part, of constantly re-examining the way it does
things and ensuring that its business is run to the best possible standards. The work of the Audit Committee
during the 2019 financial year continued to reflect this philosophy. As well as the continued engagement on
day-to-day financial issues, including further discussion on hedging strategy and approval of hedging
transactions, the Audit Committee also has oversight of the Company’s system for enterprise risk management
(ERM), to ensure that the Company’s risk management processes continue to provide robust support for its
future growth.
Main activities of the Audit Committee during the 2019 financial year
Risk management
The Audit Committee is tasked with ensuring that the Board has adequate oversight of risk management and
that it deems the controls sufficient and effective.
As the framework for risk management activities, the Company’s ERM programme was operated during the
2019 financial year in line with the process and standards established in the previous two years. Working with
the Company’s Internal Audit function during a series of meetings facilitated by Ernst & Young, each risk
identified was considered in detail in terms of the inherent risk, existing mitigating measures and residual risk,
along with a determination of how that risk should be dealt with in accordance with the Company’s risk
appetite. The resulting risk register was then used to prepare a principal risk report. Each risk owner is required
to review each risk at least once a quarter. The Company’s internal Risk Council, comprising the Company’s
senior management team, reviews the risk register and the principal risk report also at least once a quarter.
The Risk Council then reports to the Audit Committee on, among other things, changes to be made to the
principal risk report, including any consequent mitigating actions. The principal risk report, once approved by
the Audit Committee, is delivered to the Board.
In addition to the ERM program, the Company’s Internal Audit function prepares a plan of internal audits for
the upcoming year, which is approved by the Audit Committee. Internal audits are performed by Ernst & Young
and the Head of Internal Audit, who has direct responsibility to the Chairman of the Audit Committee as well
as an administrative reporting line to the Company’s Chief Financial Officer.
Following completion of an Internal Audit, a report is compiled which sets out the findings, makes
recommendations for control improvement and presents the improvement actions undertaken by
management. Internal audit reports are submitted and presented to the Audit Committee for approval. The
Chairman gives a report of the Internal Audit reports completed in a particular period to the full Board.
Internal Audit then verifies that actions have been taken and controls implemented and reports back to the
Audit Committee on the status. The Audit Committee will work to ensure that the Company continues to
develop effective risk assessment and management processes.
More information on risk management within the Company is set out on pages 28-32 of this annual report.
Financial information
The Audit Committee reviews and approves all interim and final financial statements, as well as the content of
the Company’s annual report. The Company’s external auditors provide the Audit Committee with a briefing
on any issues arising. The Audit Committee also reviews and approves any regulatory announcements that
are made in connection with such financial information. It is only after the Audit Committee’s approval that the
statements are put to the Board for approval.
Relationship with external auditors
The Audit Committee has approved the fees to be paid and the external audit plan for the 2019 financial year
and reviewed the reports of the auditors on the half-year review and the annual audit performed. The Audit
Committee was satisfied with the performance of the external auditors and with the effectiveness of the
external audit process. The audit of the 2019 financial statements and of this annual report, and the review of
the half-year financial report, were all completed in time and to high standard, addressing the key issues.
With the completion of the 2019 audit PricewaterhouseCoopers have been the auditors of the company for 13
years uninterrupted, covering the years ended 31 March 2007 to 31 March 2019.
The Audit Committee will consider the appointment of external auditors for the financial year ending 31 March
2020 and the Directors will propose a resolution in this respect for the forthcoming annual general meeting of
the Company. Should the Directors later decide to appoint a firm other than the current auditor
PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Directors would ask the shareholders to ratify the appointment of the new
auditor at the 2020 annual general meeting.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
50
GOVERNANCE
REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
CONTINUED
Main activities of the Audit Committee during the 2019 financial year continued
Relationship with external auditors continued
The Audit Committee ensures the independence of the Company’s external auditors. The Audit Committee
reviewed the independence letter of the auditors and considered in particular the non-audit fees paid to the
external auditors during the year (see Note 8 to the financial statements). While fees paid on tax and other
advisory services were close to the audit fees, the Audit Committee was satisfied that this did not compromise
the objectivity and independence of the auditors, mainly because: (i) the engagement leaders from the
relevant advisory departments are not part of the audit team; and (ii) no such services were ordered by the
Company that carried self-review threat for the auditor. Until
in the 2018 financial year
PricewaterhouseCoopers were also the principal tax adviser of the Group but were then replaced by Deloitte
following a competitive tender. From this point onwards the fees paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers for non-
audit services started to decline; however, the total amount in the year was still significant, primarily due to
tax-related engagements started earlier the completion of which was extending into the 2019 financial year.
In February 2019 PricewaterhouseCoopers informed the Company that, in response to UK corporate
governance developments for audit services, they would stop providing non-audit services to the Company,
except the completion of in-progress engagements until December 2019 the latest. Therefore, non-audit fees
earned by PricewaterhouseCoopers in the 2020 financial year will be materially less than the audit fees.
late
Significant matters relating to the annual report
In the course of the preparation of the Company’s financial statements, the following issues, among others,
were considered by the Audit Committee:
(cid:1) Maintenance accounting: As part of reviewing the reports from management and the auditor on the half-
year and the year-end accounts, the Audit Committee satisfied itself that the policy and the procedures
applicable to this complex area were followed in the year consistently.
(cid:1) Revenue accounting: The Audit Committee reviewed the reports from management and the auditor on
the half-year and the year-end accounts in relation to the adoption of IFRS 15 in the financial year, including
its financial implications, and satisfied itself that the requirements of the new standard were applied
properly. The Audit Committee supported management’s recommendation to apply the ‘Cumulative
Effect Method’ of transition for adopting the standard.
(cid:1) Asset transactions with significant earnings impact: The Audit Committee reviewed the reports from
management and the auditor on the year-end accounts in relation to asset sale and leaseback transactions
and to certain supplier negotiations that, particularly for new technology aircraft and engines, resulted in
significant one-off gains that are not expected to recur to the same magnitude in the future. The Audit
Committee satisfied itself that the accounting treatment was in line with applicable standards and that the
impact of the transactions was disclosed in the annual report appropriately.
At the request of the Board, the Audit Committee also considered whether the annual report taken as a whole
was fair, balanced and understandable and whether it provided the necessary information for Shareholders to
assess the Group’s position and performance, business model and strategy. The Committee is satisfied that
the annual report meets these criteria.
Other matters considered during the year
(cid:1)
IFRS 16 Leases: With respect to adoption of IFRS 16 by the Group with the initial application date of 1 April
2019, the Audit Committee reviewed the accounting implications of the standard and the Company’s
preparations for its adoption. The Audit Committee supported management’s recommendations for the
accounting policy choices to be made under IFRS 16, in particular to select the ‘full retrospective’ method
of transition (see Note 2 to the financial statements). The Audit Committee also reviewed the FX risk
implications of the adoption of IFRS 16, particularly the FX translation risk from the revaluation of the lease
liability. The Audit Committee supported management’s recommendations for mitigating this new risk
primarily by holding US Dollar deposits instead of Euro deposits from 1 April 2019, and for the remaining
exposure by entering into EUR/USD FX forward deals meaning also a change to the Company’s risk
management policy (see Note 3 to the financial statements).
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
51
GOVERNANCE
REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
CONTINUED
Main activities of the Audit Committee during the 2019 financial year continued
Other matters considered during the year continued
(cid:1) FRC review of the 2017 accounts: In January 2018 the Company received notice from the Conduct
Committee of the Financial Reporting Council (UK) (‘FRC’) that the Group’s annual report and accounts
to 31 March 2017 have been reviewed. The first round of the review took place during January-March 2018
and covered accounting for heavy maintenance and for hedges. The FRC made some recommendations
of relatively smaller significance, and the Company took account of some of the recommendations and
extended its disclosures in the areas of heavy maintenance accounting and hedge accounting already in
its 2018 annual report, i.e. prior to the closure of the review. The second round of the review, during May-
July 2018, focused on the remaining more detailed and sophisticated issues around maintenance
accounting. In July the FRC issued its final letter and confirmed that based on the responses received from
the Company their inquiry was closed, with no change required to the accounting policies of the Group.
The Audit Committee closely followed the developments during the review and was satisfied to see that
there was no significant recommendation made by the FRC.
(cid:1) Corporate and tax matters: Deloitte, the Group’s new principal tax adviser, was engaged in 2018 to analyse
the alternative future corporate structure of the Group, including tax implications, as a result of the Group
creating multiple airlines, to position the group for other potential business developments and also
potential changes in the international tax environment. The reports from Deloitte and from management
were reviewed during 2018 by the Board of Directors. The key changes approved by the Directors related
primarily to corporate governance, whereby (i) selected executive roles were moved from operating entity
level to holding entity level (in response to the new multi-airline setup of the Group); and (ii) the corporate
form of Wizz Air Hungary was changed to Kft. to Zrt. (creating a platform for more robust corporate
governance processes at subsidiary level).
(cid:1) GDPR: In May 2018 the Audit Committee reviewed the report from management on the preparedness of
the Company for GDPR, and was satisfied that the newly implemented processes, both internally and in
relation to business partners, shall ensure compliance of the Company with the GDPR requirements.
Simon Duffy
Chairman of the Audit Committee
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
52
GOVERNANCE
REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Wizz Air’s Nomination Committee is comprised of three members, namely Simon Duffy, our Senior
Independent Non-Executive Director, Barry Eccleston and me.
The Nomination Committee assists the Board in discharging its responsibilities relating to the composition of
the Board. The Nomination Committee is responsible for evaluating the balance of skills, knowledge and
experience on the Board, the size, structure and composition of the Board, and retirements and appointments
of additional and replacement Directors, and will make appropriate recommendations to the Board on
such matters.
The Company’s success to date has been achieved by ensuring that it appoints people of the highest calibre,
whether as Directors, management or employees. While the key selection criterion is to ensure that people are
appointed on their ability to do their jobs, the Company and the Nomination Committee recognise the
importance to the Company of diversity, including gender equality.
The 2019 financial year marked the sixth anniversary of the appointments of a number of our non-executive
directors and the Nomination Committee had particular regard to the need for refreshment of the Board.
On 1 June 2018, Barry Eccleston was appointed as Independent Non-Executive Director and member of the
Nomination Committee. A British national, Mr. Eccleston had recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of
Airbus Americas Inc., where he was responsible for all aspects of Airbus' commercial airplanes business in
North America, a position he held since 2005. On 24 July 2018, the Board appointed Mr. Peter Agnefjäll as
Independent Non-Executive Director. A Swedish national, Mr. Agnefjäll was the President and Chief Executive
Officer of IKEA Group from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Agnefjäll was also appointed as a member of the Audit
Committee. At the same time, John McMahon retired from the Board after more than six years as an
Independent Non-Executive Director. Mr. McMahon was also the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
and a member of the Audit and Nomination Committees. Upon retirement of Mr. McMahon, Simon Duffy was
appointed as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.
On 1 January 2019, Mr. Barry Eccleston was appointed as independent non-executive director overseeing
engagement with employees. In his role, Mr. Eccleston ensures the employee voice reaches the boardroom.
Ms. Maria Kyriacou was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 25th September
2018. At the same time, Thierry de Preux retired from the Board after more than six years. A joint British and
Cypriot national, Ms. Kyriacou is currently President International ITV Studios, part of ITV plc. Maria oversees
ITV Studios' production companies across Europe and Australia, its growing US scripted business, plus
international distribution arm ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE). Ms. Kyriacou is also a member of
the Remuneration Committee.
On 1 March 2019, Ms. Hooper was re-appointed for a further three-year period. Ms. Hooper is also a member
of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee.
Main activities of the Nomination Committee during the 2019 financial year
During the 2019 financial year, the Nomination Committee worked on a number of key appointments for
the Company.
The Nomination Committee, along with other Directors, assisted senior management and the Board with a
review of the structure of the Company’s organizational design.
As Wizz Air’s commitment to the United Kingdom continued, Owain Jones, Chief Corporate Officer, became
the Managing Director of Wizz Air UK with effect from 1 September 2018, reporting to József Váradi, Group
Chief Executive Officer. Marion Geoffroy, Head of Legal, was promoted to Chief Corporate Officer also with
effect from 1 September 2018, reporting to the Group’s Chief Executive Officer.
On 1 October 2018, Joel Goldberg, Senior Director Technology, Europe for Nike, was appointed to the newly-
created position of Chief Digital Officer, reporting to Stephen Jones, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and
Managing Director of Wizz Air Hungary. Joel Goldberg is responsible for the Group’s E-commerce, Data
Analytics and Automation, IT Innovation and IT infrastructure and Services functions.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
53
GOVERNANCE
REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NOMINATION COMMITTEE
Main activities of the Nomination Committee during the 2019 financial year continued
On 1 April 2019, András Sebők was promoted to the newly created Chief Supply Chain Officer position
reporting to Stephen Jones, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Wizz Air Hungary. In his
new position, András Sebők assumes responsibility for Fleet Acquisition, Purchasing, Facility Management and
Airport Development functions. The objective of this new structure is to enhance the Company’s supply chain
management capabilities by synergizing procurement processes and supplier management approaches. The
new organizational design will deliver a more efficient and lower cost operation of the Company.
As already noted above, the Nomination Committee has also been reviewing the composition of the Board in
the context of certain Non-Executive Directors reaching the sixth anniversary of their appointments in the
coming year and also the need to ensure the periodic refreshment of the Board. As a result, John McMahon
and Thierry de Preux retired from the Board while Barry Eccleston, Peter Agnefjäll and Maria Kyriacou were
appointed as Independent Non-Executive Directors during the course of F19 and Barry Eccleston was also
appointed as independent non-executive director overseeing engagement with employees.
The Nomination Committee’s ongoing work
The Nomination Committee will continue to work with the Board to ensure that it has the appropriate balance
of skills, knowledge and experience and that, where the opportunity presents itself, appointments are made
which reflect not only the Company’s requirement to retain the best people for a particular role but also the
Company’s values, including ensuring diversity within the Board and the Company’s senior management.
The Nomination Committee and the Board also recognise the importance of ensuring that succession of
Directors and senior management is properly managed, to ensure that the Company has the right people
available as needed. The Nomination Committee will continue to work with the Board and the Company’s
senior management to develop and refine succession plans, encouraging and facilitating internal talent
development where necessary.
William A. Franke
Chairman of the Nomination Committee
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
54
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT
Report of the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
On behalf of the Board I am pleased to present the Directors’ Remuneration Report for the financial year ended
31 March 2019.
It is worth noting that the composition of the Remuneration Committee was refreshed during the financial year
ended 31 March 2019. Ms. Maria Kyriacou became a member on 25 September 2018 upon the retirement of Mr.
Thierry de Preux.
Consistent with the principles set out in the 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code, in order to strengthen
workforce engagement, Wizz Air has decided to appoint an independent non-executive director to oversee
engagement with employees. Mr. Barry Eccleston, who joined the Board of Wizz Air Holdings Plc on 1 June
2018, was appointed as independent non-executive director overseeing engagement with employees from 1
January 2019. In his role, Mr. Eccleston ensures the employee voice reaches the boardroom. As at 31 March
2019, Mr. Eccleston has visited three of the largest bases in Wizz Air network, has attended sessions of the
Wizz People Council, has organized a meeting between all Wizz People Council members and the Board, has
delivered floor talks to Wizz Air office employees and has reported back to the Board.
The 2019 financial year was another year of strong growth for Wizz Air. Once again, we have delivered
industry-leading passenger growth, with passenger numbers increasing by 17 per cent and total revenue
increasing by 20 per cent. Although the first half of the financial year was particularly challenging for all
European carriers with unprecedented disruptions caused by ATC strikes, slot constraints as well as heavily
congested airports, the Company continued to drive its cost base lower and profitably stimulate traffic. During
the year, the Company successfully launched the operation of our UK airline, Wizz air UK, which was part of
the Company’s Brexit contingency planning and went through an extensive delivery program of 17 aircraft in
17 weeks. On the back of the rising fuel price, the Company trimmed second half capacity growth to 14%
(previously 18%) and as a result second half yields responded well. The Company also started to enjoy further
cost improvements from its investment graded credit rated balance sheet with over EUR 1.1 billion of free cash
and the Company signed letters of intent to finance 10 A321 NEO aircraft at rates significantly better than the
Company’s previous best deals. The arrival of game-changing, well-priced A321 NEO aircraft into our fleet in
the fourth quarter enabled Wizz Air to increase its cost advantage even further.
The strong leadership during the 2019 financial year of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer and management
team has seen the Company deliver record profitability of €291 million, even as the Company dealt with these
headwinds and significant developments. At the same time, the Company remained extremely cost-focused,
with its ex-fuel operating unit cost remaining materially flat (0.9 per cent. decrease year on year). The relative
strength of Wizz Air’s performance against its peers was reflected in a share price which, as at 31 March 2019,
remained some 162 per cent. higher than the offering price in the Company’s initial public offering. Over the
year, therefore, the Directors and senior management have ensured that the Company’s business has
continued to deliver results that have significantly increased Shareholder value, as well as further strengthening
the foundations for the Company’s future growth.
The Company’s Remuneration Policy is designed to incentivise the Chief Executive Officer, currently the
Company’s sole Executive Director, not only to deliver profitability, but also to continue to drive the Company’s
unit costs even lower at the same time as delivering a good customer experience. By way of reminder, the
amount of a payment under the Company’s short-term incentive plan for 2019 depended on three factors,
being profit after tax (80%), on-time performance (10%) and ex-fuel cost per available seat kilometer (10%).
The outcome of the short term incentive plan for the 2019 financial year reflects the Company’s performance:
profitability was below target (but marginally above the threshold), ex-fuel CASK was on target, and on-time
performance fell below the threshold for any payment, even though this was mainly a consequence of a
number of events beyond the Company’s control (unprecedented disruptions due to ATC strikes, slot
constraints and heavily congested airports in the first half of the financial year). Taking these factors into
account, the Chief Executive Officer’s payment under the short-term incentive plan for the financial year 2019
was EUR 345,321, being 52.3 per cent. of annual base salary (and therefore of target bonus) against a maximum
bonus opportunity of 200 per cent. of annual base salary.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
55
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Report of the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee continued
The first award under the approved Long-term incentive Plan was made to officers and to heads of functions
in July 2015 and vested in July 2018. 50 percent of the award was based on relative total shareholder return
(TSR) compared to selected European airlines and the other 50 percent on fully diluted earnings per share
growth. The awards for the Chief Executive Officer vested in full, being 73,805 options. The total market value
of the shares on the day of vesting (9 July 2018) was GBP 2,708,644, equivalent to EUR 3,069,706 at the
prevailing FX rate. While technically the value of the options crystallized on the date of vesting, the right to
this benefit was earned via the Group delivering good financial performance during the F16-F18 financial years.
Therefore, total remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer for the year was EUR 4,056,437. The
Remuneration Committee believes that this demonstrates that not only are the targets set for management
very ambitious, but also that the Company’s current Remuneration Policy is appropriate with the outcome
properly reflecting the Company’s performance during the year.
The Chief Executive Officer’s base salary was last revised in 2018 following a comprehensive market review
upon which the Remuneration Committee concluded that the Chief Executive Officer’s base salary should be
increased by 10 per cent. to CHF 750.000 with retrospective effect from 1 April 2018. The Committee has
determined that the CEO’s base salary remains competitive and therefore no changes are proposed for the
2020 financial year. In 2018, we have reorganised our group structure, which enables us to deliver further value
to our shareholders in the long term. The net pay of some executives, including the Chief Executive Officer,
has been adversely affected by this. The Committee is aware of the impact of these changes and is considering
how best to respond with a view to keeping the original pay package intact, which might entail a change to
the basic salary.
The Remuneration Committee remains committed to ensuring that the Company’s Remuneration Policy is an
effective way to align the interests of the Directors and senior management with those of the Company’s
Shareholders and that it provides appropriate incentivisation to continue to deliver Shareholder value.
However, the Remuneration Committee also remains focused on the Company’s ultra-low-cost business
model, and the governing principle that will continue to be applied is that remuneration must be competitive
whilst not being more than is necessary to attract, retain and motivate executive management of the quality
required to continue to run the Company successfully, and that a significant proportion of remuneration
remains performance based. Indeed, this is a principle which is applied consistently throughout the Company
for almost all employees. In addition the Remuneration Committee considers that the policy should not only
be easy to understand, but also straightforward and simple to implement and administer in line with our
approach to business which seeks to keep processes and procedures as streamlined and as simple as possible.
Whilst the Company is incorporated in Jersey, we have chosen voluntarily to comply in all material respects
with the provisions of the UK Companies Act 2006 and related regulations in respect of the Directors’
Remuneration Report and Remuneration Policy, underlining the Company’s commitment to adopt UK
corporate governance best practice. The Directors’ Remuneration Policy was put forward to a binding
Shareholder vote at the 2018 annual general meeting with the intention that it should apply for three years.
The Remuneration Committee is of the view that the Policy continues to achieve the aims set out above.
Therefore, we will not be asking Shareholders to vote on the Policy at this year’s annual general meeting,
although there will be an advisory vote on the Annual Report on Remuneration. In the context of the
Company’s particular structure in which the company’s only Executive Director is a co-founder of the
Company and has maintained a significant shareholding, the Committee is of the view that there remains to
be a strong alignment with shareholders. However, it is reminded that under our policy the Remuneration
Committee has the power to increase this alignment through the implementation of shareholding guidelines,
mandatory bonus deferral or an additional LTIP post-vesting holding period, over the course of the policy
period, should it be considered desirable to do so.
The Committee welcomes changes introduced by the July 2018 UK Corporate Governance Code and updated
remuneration reporting regulations. The Committee has reviewed its current practices against the revised
Code and will report further on our response in the annual remuneration report next year.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
56
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Report of the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee continued
The Committee notes the significant minority vote against the resolution to approve our Remuneration Policy
in the last annual general meeting. The Committee has engaged extensively with shareholders and proxy
advisors and gained a clear insight into the reasons for the number of votes registered against our
Remuneration Policy, which primarily relate to the absence of the structural features including bonus deferral,
LTI holding period and shareholding requirements.
In our policy, the Committee has adopted powers to introduce the features outlined during the policy period.
The Committee recognises that, at certain companies, the absence of those features may be a cause for some
concern, as executive directors may not be as aligned with shareholders as otherwise would be the case.
However, at Wizz Air, the sole executive director – the CEO and co-founder – is already significantly aligned
to the long-term interests of the company and shareholder experience through current share ownership valued
at approximately EUR 66.5 million (circa 100 times his present basic annual salary)
This holding far exceeds the level commonly imposed by having the conventional structural safeguarding
mechanics outlined above and his large shareholding ensures an extremely strong alignment between the
interests of the CEO and those of shareholders. The Remuneration Committee will, as a matter of course,
continue to keep such features and all shareholder feedback under close review.
In conclusion, I would reiterate that Wizz Air continues to be proud of the strong results delivered in the 2019
financial year against a challenging industry background. We remain committed to ensuring that our
Remuneration Policy continues to incentivise delivery of outstanding results in the future, but in a way that
appropriately aligns the interests of the Directors and senior management with those of the Company’s
Shareholders. We believe that the approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy does this in a way which is
consistent with the Company’s current growth phase and its desire to bring simplicity to all areas of its
operation. Simplicity of process and practice reflects the Company’s strategy to focus on achieving the lowest
possible unit operating cost while improving customers’ experience.
We look forward to the continued support of our Shareholders and welcome any questions or suggestions
that you may have to further align our Remuneration Policy with the interests of our investors.
Guido Demuynck
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
57
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Introduction
The Directors’ Remuneration Policy was approved by Shareholders at the annual general meeting held on 24
July 2018 and will apply until the annual general meeting to be held in 2021. This Directors’ Remuneration
Report sets out the remuneration earned for the 2019 financial year in accordance with the approved Directors’
Remuneration Policy and the planned application of our Remuneration Policy for the 2020 financial year.
The report has been prepared in accordance with the Large and Medium-sized Companies and Groups
(Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 as amended (the Regulations), which the Company has chosen to
comply with in all material respects as a matter of best practice.
For transparency, we have included the approved Directors’ Remuneration Policy in full in this report although
there will not be a vote on the Directors’ Remuneration Policy at this year’s annual general meeting. The
Remuneration Policy is also available to view at corporate.wizzair.com.
Remuneration Policy
Introduction
Our principal consideration when determining the Remuneration Policy is to ensure that it supports our
company strategy and business objectives, as well as to attract, retain and motivate executive management
of the quality required to run the Company successfully without paying more than is necessary.
In the selection of performance measures for both the annual performance bonus and the Long-term Incentive
Plan the Remuneration Committee takes into account the Group’s strategic objectives and short and long-term
business priorities. The performance targets are set in accordance with the Group’s annual operating plan and
are reviewed annually to ensure that they are sufficiently stretching. In selecting the targets the Remuneration
Committee also takes into account analysts’ forecasts, economic conditions and the Remuneration
Committee’s expectation of performance over the relevant period.
The aim of the Remuneration Policy is to:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
attract, retain and motivate executive management without paying more than is necessary;
incentivise the successful execution of the Company’s business strategy; and
align the Executive Directors’ long-term interests with those of Shareholders.
Executive Director remuneration
The Chief Executive Officer is currently the Company’s sole Executive Director. The Remuneration Committee
believes that the Company’s Remuneration Policy supports the Company’s ultra-low-cost business model by
incentivising senior management, including the Chief Executive Officer, to continue to strive to increase the
Company’s cost advantage while improving the customers’ experience. The Chief Executive Officer currently
receives a base salary and is eligible for an annual performance bonus of up to 200 per cent. of base salary
and a long-term incentive award of up to 250 per cent. of base salary, with payments depending on the
Company achieving certain financial and operational targets.
In deciding appropriate remuneration levels, the Remuneration Committee takes into account, among other
things, the levels paid at competitor low-cost carriers as well as selected fast-growing listed companies across
Europe of a similar size.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
58
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Remuneration Policy continued
Executive Director remuneration continued
Future policy table: Executive Directors
Element
Base salary
Purpose and link to strategy Operation and opportunity
To provide the core
reward for the role.
To attract, retain and
motivate executive
management without
paying more
than necessary.
Benefits
To attract, retain and
motivate executive
management without
paying more
than necessary.
Pension
Not applicable.
Short-term
Incentive
Plan
To incentivise the
successful execution
of the Company’s
business strategy.
To reward the
achievement of
annual financial and
operational goals.
Salaries are reviewed annually,
with any increase being
awarded at the discretion of the
Remuneration Committee.
The Executive Director’s salary
for the 2019 financial year is
detailed in the Annual Report
on Remuneration.
The Remuneration Committee
may take into account a
number of factors in deciding
whether an increase should be
made, including benchmarking
against selected airlines and
selected fast-growing listed
companies across Europe of a
similar size.
Executive Directors are
covered by the Company’s
group personal accident and
life assurance cover, which is in
place for all employees
(2x salary).
Free return tickets usable on
the route network of the Group,
consistent with the number of
free tickets made available for
all employees.
Not applicable. The Company
does not provide a pension
scheme for the Executive
Directors (unless contributions
are required by law).
Payments under the Short-term
Incentive Plan are made in
cash, subject to certain
specified performance
requirements as determined by
the Remuneration Committee
being met and up to a
maximum bonus set as a
percentage of base salary by
the Remuneration Committee.
The maximum bonus for the
Chief Executive Officer is 200
per cent. of base salary.
These performance
requirements so far (depending
on the year) related to
Company profitability, on-time
performance, operating cost
and personal performance.
Framework used to assess performance
and provisions for the recovery of
sums paid
The Remuneration Committee
will consider the individual
salary of Executive Directors at
a meeting each year.
There are no provisions for the
recovery of sums paid or the
withholding of any payment
relating to base salary.
There are no provisions for the
recovery of sums paid or the
withholding of any payments
relating to benefits.
Not applicable.
Performance requirements
are determined by the
Remuneration Committee
annually. They are intended to
align the performance of the
Executive Directors with the
Group’s near-term objectives of
delivering against its strategy.
In particular, the performance
requirements incentivise the
Executive Directors to focus
on cost control to achieve
profitability targets, while
delivering a reliable service
to customers.
The annual bonus is subject to
malus and/or clawback in the
event of serious misconduct
which could have served as a
reason for termination of the
employment for cause, or the
employee was involved in fraud,
dishonesty or other type of
illegal activity.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
59
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Remuneration Policy continued
Executive Director remuneration continued
Future policy table: Executive Directors continued
To align the Executive
Directors’ long-term
interests with those of
Shareholders.
To reward strong
financial performance
and sustained
increase in
Shareholder value.
Long-term
Incentive
Plan (LTIP)
(operating
for the first
time in the
2016
financial
year).
Each year, performance shares
may be granted. Awards vest
over a three-year period,
subject to the achievement of
performance targets. The
maximum face value of annual
awards will be 250 per cent. of
base salary for the Chief
Executive Officer and the
Executive Director must remain
in office when the performance
shares vest.
Performance targets are
determined by the Remun.
Committee and vesting of the
performance shares is subject
to performance targets being
met over the performance
period.
If a participant’s employment
ends before the end of the
performance period, any vested
and unvested options will
normally lapse, save in certain
“good leaver” scenarios.
Long-term incentive awards are
subject to malus and/or
clawback in the event of serious
misconduct which could have
served as a reason for
termination of the employment
for cause, or the employee was
involved in fraud, dishonesty or
other type of illegal activity.
Difference in Remuneration Policy for Executive Directors and employees
Remuneration of the Company’s senior management team follows a similar pattern to that of the Executive
Directors, although amounts for each component may vary. Other employees receive remuneration judged by
senior management to be appropriate for their position and experience. During the 2019 financial year, the
Remuneration Committee has also spent quality time to ensure that the remuneration of senior management
was well aligned within the Company and that performance criteria were consistent and aligned with the
overall strategy of the Company.
Non-Executive Director remuneration
The Non-Executive Directors are only paid fees.
Framework used to assess performance
and provisions for the recovery of
sums paid
Not applicable; there are no
provisions for the recovery
of sums paid or the withholding
of any payment relating to fees.
Element
Fees
Purpose and link to strategy
To remunerate Non-
Executive Directors
to reflect their level
of responsibility.
Operation and opportunity
Non-Executive Directors are paid a
basic fee, plus an additional amount
for each Board meeting attended.
Additional fees are paid for the
roles of Chairman of the Audit
Committee, the Remuneration
Committee, the Board and, with
effect from 2019, the Senior
Independent Director. Fees for
Non-Executive Directors, other than
the Chairman, are determined by
the Board. Fees for the Chairman
are determined by the Remun.
Committee without the Chairman
being present. The Remuneration
Committee, in relation to the
Chairman, and the Board, in relation
to the other Non-Executive
Directors, retain the flexibility to
increase fee levels to ensure that
they appropriately reflect the
experience of the individual, time
commitment of the role and fee
levels in comparable companies.
The fees paid to the Chairman and
other Non-Executive Directors for
the 2019 financial year are set out in
the Annual Report on
Remuneration.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
60
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Remuneration Policy continued
Illustration of the application of the Remuneration Policy
The bar chart below sets out the annual remuneration package of the Chief Executive Officer, at a minimum,
as a reasonable expectation and as a possible maximum (in Euro):
The remuneration receivable under the LTIP as shown in the table (i) does not assume any share price movement between grant
and vesting; and (ii) for the sake of illustration it assumes that no shares would vest in the minimum scenario, 50 per cent. of
shares would vest in the expected scenario and all shares would vest in the maximum scenario.
Fixed remuneration is base salary (May 2019 level annualised, being €664,050). The annual bonus amount is
zero at minimum, €664,050 at the expected level (50 per cent. of maximum opportunity of 200 per cent.)
and €1,328,100 at maximum (200 per cent. of base salary). The long-term incentive amount is zero at minimum,
€830.063 at the expected level (50 per cent. of maximum opportunity of 250 per cent.) and €1,660,125 at
maximum (250 per cent. of base salary).
Recruitment remuneration
The remuneration package for an incoming Executive Director would reflect the principles set out above,
although relocation expenses or allowances (such as school fees) for an Executive Director requiring relocation
may be paid as appropriate.
For the appointment of a new Chairman or Non-Executive Director, fee arrangements will be made in line with
the policy as set out above.
Policy on payment for loss of office
In the event of termination of a service contract or letter of appointment of a Director, contractual obligations
will be honoured in accordance with the service contract or letter of appointment. The Remuneration
Committee will take into consideration the circumstances and reasons for departure, health, length of service
and performance. Under this policy, the Remuneration Committee will make any statutory payments it is
required to make. In addition, the Remuneration Committee may agree to payment of outplacement
counselling costs and disbursements (such as legal costs) if considered to be appropriate and depending on
the circumstances of departure.
There are no pre-determined contractual provisions for Directors regarding compensation in the event of loss
of office save for those listed in the table below.
Details of provision
Notice period
Executive Director
Six months’ notice by either party.
Termination payment
Post-termination
covenants
The employing company may terminate the
Executive Director’s employment with immediate
effect by payment in lieu of notice.
The Executive Director will be paid a sum equal to six
months’ base salary if the employing company
chooses to enforce the restrictive covenants
referenced below.
Upon termination of employment other than for cause,
the Executive Director is entitled to a severance
payment equal to six months’ salary in addition to any
notice pay or payment in lieu of notice.
Post-termination restrictive covenants apply for
a period of one year following termination
of employment.
Non-Executive Directors
One month’s notice
by either party.
Fees and expenses
accrued up to
termination only.
Not applicable.
No such payment for loss of office was made by the Group in the year or the prior year. No payments of any
nature were made to past directors.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
61
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Remuneration Policy continued
Discretion, flexibility and judgment of the Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee operates the Short-term Incentive Plan and the Long-term Incentive Plan, which
include flexibility in a number of areas. These include:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
the timing of awards and payments;
the size of an award, within the maximum limits;
the participants of the plan;
the performance requirements and maximum percentages of salary to be used for the Short-term
Incentive Plan and the Long-term Incentive Plan from year to year;
the performance conditions, performance periods and vesting periods for awards under the Long-term
Incentive Plan from year to year;
the assessment of whether performance requirements and/or conditions have been met;
the treatment to be applied for a change of control or significant restructuring of the Group;
the determination of a good/bad leaver for incentive plan purposes and the treatment of awards
thereof; and
the adjustments, if any, required in certain circumstances (e.g. rights issues, corporate restructuring,
corporate events and special dividends).
In addition, the Remuneration Committee retains the power to adopt shareholding guidelines, mandatory
bonus deferral or an additional post-vesting holding period with respect to the LTIP, over the course of the
policy period should any or all of these features be considered desirable.
Legacy arrangements
In approving this policy, authority will be given to the Company to honour commitments paid, promised to be
paid or awarded to (i) current or former Directors prior to the date of this policy being approved and (ii) to an
individual (who subsequently is appointed as a Director of the Company) at a time when the relevant individual
was not a Director of the Company and, in the opinion of the Remuneration Committee, was not in
consideration of that individual becoming a Director of the Company, even where such commitments are
inconsistent with the provisions of this policy.
Outstanding awards under the Company’s previous 2009 international employee share option plan remain
eligible for vesting and exercise in accordance with their terms.
Shareholder approval of share plans
This policy includes any new employee share plans or amendments to existing share plans approved by
shareholders which may be applicable to this policy period.
Consideration of Shareholder views
The Remuneration Committee and the Board will consider Shareholder feedback received in relation to the
annual general meeting each year at a meeting immediately following the annual general meeting and any
action required will be incorporated into the Remuneration Committee’s business plan for the ensuing period.
This, and any additional feedback received from Shareholders from time to time, will then be considered by
the Remuneration Committee and as part of the Company’s annual review of remuneration arrangements.
Specific engagement with major Shareholders may be undertaken when a significant change in Remuneration
Policy is proposed.
Annual Report on Remuneration
The members of the Remuneration Committee were Guido Demuynck (Chairman), Susan Hooper, Thierry de
Preux and Maria Kyriacou following the retirement of Thierry de Preux as of 25 September 2018.
The Remuneration Committee is responsible for setting the Remuneration Policy for all Executive Directors
and the Chairman, including pension rights and any compensation payments, and recommending and
monitoring the remuneration of the senior managers. Non-Executive Directors’ fees are determined by the full
Board. A summary of the Remuneration Committee’s terms of reference can be found on our corporate
website, corporate.wizzair.com. Further details about the Remuneration Committee are set out on pages 55
to 58 of the Corporate Governance Report.
József Váradi, the Chief Executive Officer, and Marion Geoffroy, the Chief Corporate Officer, attend meetings
by invitation and assist the Remuneration Committee in its deliberations as appropriate, though they are not
present when their own compensation is discussed.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
62
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
The Remuneration Committee is advised by Willis Towers Watson, which was selected following a competitive
tender process led by the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee in 2015. Willis Towers Watson attends
Committee meetings as and when required. During the 2019 financial year, Willis Towers Watson received fees
totalling GBP 94,289 for advice related to Remuneration Policy, governance, developments in executive pay,
benchmarking and performance analysis.
Willis Towers Watson is a member of the Remuneration Consultants Group and, as such, voluntarily operates
under the Remuneration Consultants Group Code of Conduct in relation to executive remuneration consulting
in the UK. The Remuneration Committee is satisfied that Willis Towers Watson offers impartial and objective
advice and brings a high degree of expertise to the Remuneration Committee’s discussions.
Shareholders’ vote on remuneration
At the 2018 annual general meeting the Annual Report on Remuneration was put forward for an advisory vote.
Details of the voting outcomes are provided in the table below:
Votes for
Votes against
Total votes
Votes withheld
Remuneration Policy
(2018 AGM)
Annual Report on Remuneration
(2018 AGM)
34,989,350
12,230,322
47,219,672
7,052,976
74.10%
25.90%
50,533,946
3,581,402
54,115,348
157,300
93.38%
6.62%
Executive Director’s remuneration
Full details of the Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration for 2019 are set out below (in Euros):
Single total figure of remuneration table – audited
2019
József Váradi
József Váradi
Fees and
salary
641,411
Fees and
salary
600,762
Benefits
-
Bonus
345,321
LTIP
3,069,706
Pension
-
Total
4,056,437
2018
Benefits
-
Bonus
680,543
LTIP
-
Pension
-
Total
1,281,304
Salary and bonus were determined in Swiss Francs until December 2018 and were converted into Euros at the
rate applicable for the year (salary) or the rate applicable at the end of the financial year (2018 bonus).
Although the Chief Executive Officer was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer as of 1 January 2019, his
base salary remained unchanged throughout financial year 2019. The previous base salary of CHF 750,000
was from 1 January 2019 translated into Euro 664,050.
There were no benefits provided to the Chief Executive Officer other than twelve free return tickets usable on
the route network of the Group, the value of which is estimated to be €1600 altogether.
Bonus is linked to three important financial and operational KPIs of the Company and to individual
performance. The measures, target performance and actual performance for 2019 were the following:
Measures
Profit (€m)
CASK ex-fuel (€c/ASK)
On-time performance
(delay <15 mins)
Aggregate payout ratio
Weight
80%
10%
10%
100%
Target performance
Threshold*
288.7
2.35
Target**
339.7
2.24
Maximum***
390.6
2.13
Actual
performance
291.6
2.24
76.0%
80.0%
84.0%
72.0%
Payout
42.3%
10%
0%
52.3%
*
There is no payment if the performance is worse than the “Threshold”. At “Threshold” there is 50 per cent. payment of the target.
** At “Target” there is 100 per cent. payment (being equal to twelve months’ salary in the case of the CEO).
*** If the “Maximum” is reached or exceeded then there is 200 per cent. payment of the target.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
63
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Executive Director’s remuneration continued
The evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer’s personal performance during the 2019 financial year took into
account factors common with those applied to all employees as part of Wizz Air’s People Cycle, namely
leadership, execution, cooperation, innovation and expertise. In the case of the Chief Executive Officer, these
factors were considered in the context of two broad categories - building the business and building the
organization. During the 2019 financial year, the business delivered 17% capacity growth (in terms of ASKs)
and 17% passenger growth to 345 million PAX, 20% revenue growth to €2.3 billion and 6% net profit growth
to €291.6 million. Wizz Air UK was established, obtained its air operator’s certificate and operating license in
May 2018 and started commercial operations in October 2018. The Company received its first two A321neo
aircraft. Reflecting the Company’s planned growth, the Chief Executive Officer enhanced the Company’s
leadership capacity by creating the Chief Digital Officer and the Chief Supply Chain Officer positions. Effective
from 1 January 2019, organizational changes took place with the objectives of strengthening the Group’s
Corporate Governance structure. In that respect, József Váradi was appointed to Group Chief Executive
Officer at Wizz Air Holdings Plc, assuming responsibility for the overall operations of the Company that
includes Wizz Air Hungary Ltd and Wizz Air UK Ltd. At the same time, Stephen Jones was appointed Deputy
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. Owain Jones had been appointed as
Managing Director of Wizz Air UK on 1 September 2018.
As outlined earlier, the first award under the LTIP (of 250 per cent. of base salary) was made to the Chief
Executive Officer during the 2016 financial year (July 2015). The award included 73,805 Performance Options,
valued at GBP 15.72 per option share, that was the market price of the Company’s shares at the date of grant.
The exercise price of the options is nil.
Vesting occurred in July 2018 in line with the following performance criteria:
a) relative total shareholder return (TSR) growth versus selected European airlines (50 per cent. weighting);
and
b) absolute fully diluted earnings per share (EPS) growth of the Company (50 per cent. weighting).
The TSR group consisted of the following entities: Ryanair and Easyjet (50 per cent. weighting); Air
France-KLM, Air Berlin, Deutsche Lufthansa, Finnair, Flybe, IAG and SAS (50 per cent. weighting). Aer Lingus
has been removed from the group following acquisition by IAG and subsequent delisting in September 2015.
The targets were met with respect to both performance criteria and therefore all the 73,805 options vested in
July 2018.
The second award under the LTIP (of 250 per cent. of base salary) was made to the Chief Executive Officer
during the 2017 financial year (June 2016). This award included 85,270 Performance Options, valued at GBP
14.80 per option share at the date of grant. Vesting is due in June 2019 and is subject to the same performance
criteria as the first award. However, the EPS threshold, target and maximum average annual growth rates were
revised slightly versus the July 2015 grant to 14.2 per cent., 17.2 per cent. and 20.2 per cent., respectively.
The third award under the LTIP (of 250 per cent. of base salary) was made to the Chief Executive Officer
during the 2018 financial year (June 2017). This award included 70,698 Performance Options, valued at GBP
22.00 per option share at the date of grant. Vesting is due in June 2020 and is subject to the same performance
criteria as the first and second award. However, the EPS threshold, target and maximum average annual
growth rates were revised versus the June 2016 grant to 25 per cent., 28 per cent. and 31 per cent., respectively.
The fourth award under the LTIP (of 250 per cent. of base salary) was made to the Chief Executive Officer
during the 2019 financial year (May 2018). This award included 40,103 Performance Options, valued at GBP
31.44 per option share at the date of grant. Vesting is due in May 2021 and is subject to the same performance
criteria as the previous awards. However, the EPS threshold, target and maximum average annual growth rates
were set to 11 per cent., 19 per cent. and 26 per cent., respectively.
The first LTIP award made in the 2016 financial year (July 2015), and which vested in the 2019 financial year
(July 2018), is hereby disclosed as part of the single total figure of remuneration for the 2019 financial year.
The Chief Executive Officer does not any longer hold options from the Company’s previous employee share
option plan (ESOP) under which options were issued during the 2005-2011 calendar years.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
64
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Executive Director’s remuneration continued
The following performance graph shows the Company’s total shareholder return compared to the FTSE 250
index for the last two financial years following IPO. TSR is defined as share price growth plus reinvested
dividends.
Wizz Air
FTSE 250
t
n
e
m
t
s
e
v
n
i
0
0
1
£
l
a
c
i
t
e
h
t
o
p
y
h
a
f
o
l
e
u
a
V
£300
£250
£200
£150
£100
£50
£0
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Source: DataStream Return Index
1 Growth in the value of a hypothetical £100 holding over three years FTSE 250 comparison based on one-month average of
trading day values. Source: DataStream.
In the tables below we provide a five-year overview of the Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration and the
change in the Chief Executive Officer’s remuneration compared to that of all employees.
Five-year overview of Chief Executive Officer remuneration
Financial year
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Single figure
of total
remuneration
Euro
1,607,587
1,812,883
1,240,812
1,281,304
4,056,437
Performance
bonus
achieved
against
maximum
possible
91%
95%
48%
58%
52%
LTIP shares
vesting
against
maximum
possible*
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
100%
*
Share options under the previous ‘ESOP’ plan were last issued to the CEO in the 2012 financial year. The vesting period was
three years (i.e. vesting in the 2015 financial year) but there were no performance conditions other than being in employment
during the vesting period, hence not reflected in the single total figure for 2015. There were no options vesting in the 2016-
2018 financial years under either the old (ESOP) or the new (LTIP) share option plan.
Change in the remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer compared to that of all other employees
Salary and fees
Benefits*
Bonus
Total remuneration
Chief Executive Officer
2019 (euro)
641,411
-
345,321
986,731
2018 (euro)
600,762
-
680,543
1,281,304
Change
+6.8%
-
-49.3%
-23.0%
Total employees
Change**
+16.6%
-2.5%
-43.3%
14.3%
* Benefits represented an insignificant part, approximately only 1 per cent., of the employee pay in these two years.
** Per employee, excluding the Chief Executive Officer.
The increase in the Chief Executive Officer’s base salary in euro terms was attributable to the 10.0% increase
from July 2018 and exchange rate differences between the 2019 and the 2018 financial years. In 2019 the
relatively lower level of payout on the bonus (Short-term Incentive Plan) caused the decrease in the total
remuneration for the Chief Executive Officer. The lower bonus payout in 2019 had a smaller impact on the total
employee group than on the Chief Executive Officer as most employees are not entitled for bonus. Salary and
fees increased at a relatively high rate due to adjustments made to crew salaries during 2019. Total employee
remuneration changed from €106.6 million in the 2018 financial year to €152.7 million in the 2019 financial year
(see Note 9 to the financial statements), being a 43.2 per cent. increase year-on-year. This was driven also by
the 25.9 per cent. increase in employee numbers (excluding rented pilots).
There were no dividends or share buybacks in the 2019 financial year or the 2018 financial year, and therefore
disclosure of ‘relative importance of spend on pay’ has not been included.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
65
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Non-Executive Director remuneration
The Chairman and Non-Executive Directors are paid only Directors’ fees, full details of which are set out below:
Single total figure of remuneration table – audited
2019
William A. Franke
Stephen L. Johnson
John R. Wilson
Thierry De Preux*****
John McMahon***
Simon Duffy
Guido Demuynck
Susan Hooper
Barry Eccleston*
Peter Agnefjäll**
Maria Kyriacou****
Total
Fees and
salary
€
235,000
60,000
60,000
29,583
22,581
90,605
77,500
65,000
60,000
50,645
40,500
791,414
*
**
Joined as of 1 June 2018.
Joined as of 24 July 2018.
**** Resigned as of 24 July 2018.
**** Joined as of 25 September 2018.
***** Resigned as of 25 September 2018.
William A. Franke
Stephen L. Johnson
John R. Wilson
Thierry De Preux
John McMahon
Simon Duffy
Guido Demuynck
Susan Hooper
Wioletta Rosolowksa
Total
Fees and
salary
€
72,500
47,500
47,500
47,500
45,000
66,250
60,000
47,500
36,429
470,179
Benefits
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Benefits
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bonus
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bonus
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2018
LTIP
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
LTIP
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Pension
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Pension
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total
€
235,000
60,000
60,000
29,583
22,581
90,605
77,500
65,000
60,000
50,645
40,500
791,414
Total
€
72,500
47,500
47,500
47,500
45,000
66,250
60,000
47,500
36,429
470,179
Total Directors’ remuneration (Executive and Non-Executive) (audited)
Total remuneration of Directors for the period was €4,847,851 (2018: €1,751,483). This is the sum of the two
single figure tables set out above. The significant increase versus 2018 was driven primarily by the 2015 LTIP
options of the Chief Executive Officer vesting in 2019.
Our Conflict of Interest policy prohibits any other employment (for all employees) on top of the employment
at Wizz. Therefore in case of the Chief Executive Officer any additional directorship would require specific
permission of the Chairman of the Board. The Chief Executive Officer joined the board of JetSMART SpA in
March 2018 as a non-executive director, with the approval of the Board. The Chief Executive Officer does not
receive any fee for his role as a non-executive director of JetSMART.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
66
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Annual Report on Remuneration continued
Directors’ shareholdings
The Chief Executive Officer holds a significant shareholding in the Company through a family trust and is also
eligible to participate in the Company’s Long-term Incentive Plan.
Each of the Non-Executive Directors, other than Susan Hooper, Peter Agnefjäll and Maria Kyriacou, is also a
Shareholder in the Company, following awards made under a historic non-executive share scheme and/or the
purchase of shares with the relevant Director’s own cash. No new share plan awards have been made since
July 2013 or will be made in the future under this historic share scheme.
The Company therefore believes that the interests of the Directors are well aligned with those of the
Shareholders. Full details of the Directors’ and their connected persons’ interests in the Company’s shares as
at 31 March 2019 are set out below:
Directors and connected persons’ interests in shares – audited
Director
William A. Franke1
József Váradi2
Thierry de Preux
Guido Demuynck
Simon Duffy
Stephen L. Johnson
John Mc Mahon
John R. Wilson
Barry Eccleston
Direct
ownership
Number of
Ordinary
Shares
52,750
10,500
51,384
5,250
5,250
52,750
14,750
59,083
2,500
Interests
Number of Ordinary
Shares
15,004,750
1,844,144
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Number of
Convertible
Shares
29,830,503
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total Ordinary Share
interests
15,057,500
1,854,644
51,384
5,250
5,250
52,750
14,750
59,083
2,500
1 Mr Franke is deemed to be interested in all of the Ordinary Shares and Convertible Shares held by Indigo Hungary LP, Indigo
Maple Hill LP, Indigo Hungary Management LLC and Bigfork Partners LLC for the purposes of section 96B of the Financial
Services and Markets Act 2000. Indigo Hungary LP and Indigo Maple Hill LP also hold Convertible Notes that, subject to
certain conditions, are convertible to Ordinary Shares of the Company.
2 Mr Váradi is deemed to be interested in the Ordinary Shares held by his family trust companies.
There has been no change to the interests of each of the Directors set out above since 31 March 2019 to the
date of the notice of the 2019 annual general meeting.
Application of the Remuneration Policy in the 2020 financial year
a) Chief Executive Officer’s base salary
The Chief Executive Officer’s salary was last increased in 2018 following a detailed review of his remuneration
package relative to pay benchmark peer groups and considering his exceptional performance since the IPO
which has seen the Company deliver record profitability and share price growth. The Committee considered
an increase in base salary of 10% from CHF 682,000 to CHF 750,000 to be appropriate. In 2018, we have
reorganised our group structure, which enables us to deliver further value to our shareholders in the long term.
Some executives, including the Chief Executive Officer, have been adversely affected by this. The Committee
is aware of the impact of these changes and is considering how best to respond with a view to keeping the
original pay package intact, which might entail a change to the basic salary.
b) Short-term Incentive Plan
The Chief Executive Officer is eligible to receive a cash bonus of up to 200 per cent. of base salary in respect
of the 2020 financial year. The actual cash bonus received will depend on the achievement level of profit after
tax achieved, as the single criteria.
The Remuneration Committee believes that the specified performance criteria are sufficiently challenging
compared to the Company’s business plan. The annual bonus target with respect to profit is commercially
sensitive and therefore will be disclosed in the 2019 Remuneration Report following the completion of the
financial year provided that the information is no longer commercially sensitive.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Application of the Remuneration Policy in the 2020 financial year continued
c) Long-term Incentive Plan
An award of performance shares of up to 250 per cent. of base salary will be made to the Chief Executive
Officer following approval of policy at the 2019 annual general meeting. Awards will vest following a three-
year performance period and be subject to the same type of performance criteria as the 2018 award as follows:
a) relative total shareholder return (TSR) growth versus selected European airlines (50 per cent. weighting);
and
b) absolute fully diluted earnings per share (EPS) growth of the Company (50 per cent. weighting).
The TSR group will consist of the following entities: Ryanair and Easyjet (50 per cent. weighting);
AirFrance-KLM, Deutsche Lufthansa, Finnair, IAG and SAS (50 per cent. weighting). 25 per cent. of the award
will vest for median performance and 100 per cent. of the award will vest for performance equal to or
exceeding the upper quartile. There will be no vesting for performance below median and linear interpolation
will apply for performance between the median and upper quartile.
With respect to the EPS growth measure, 25 per cent. of the award will vest for threshold average annual
growth of 12 per cent. and 100 per cent. will vest for maximum average annual growth of 27 per cent. Linear
interpolation applies for performance between threshold and maximum.
d) Chairman and Non-Executive Directors’ fees
Following a review of Non-Executive Director and Chairman fee levels against external pay benchmarks and
noting that Non-Executive Director and Chairman fees have remain unchanged since before Wizz Air’s initial
public offering in 2015, the Board deemed it appropriate to increase the Non-Executive Directorship fee from
€25,000 to €30,000 per annum and the Board attendance fee from €2,500 to €5,000 for each full Board
meeting attended, for the financial year ending 31 March 2019.
Simon Duffy, as Chairman of the Audit Committee, will continue to receive an additional fee of €18,750 per
annum for taking on that role. Guido Demuynck, as Chairman of the Remuneration Committee will continue to
receive an additional fee of €12,500 per annum for taking on that role. Simon Duffy, as Senior Independent
Director will receive an additional fee of €10,000. Barry Eccleston, as Independent Non-Executive Director
overseeing engagement with employees will receive an additional fee of €2,500 per event attended.
In addition, William A. Franke, as Chairman, will continue to receive a fee of €235,000 (all inclusive) per annum
for taking on that role. As noted in the F19 report, the previous Chairman’s fee of €75,000 (which comprised
of the Non-Executive Directorship fee of €25,000, an additional €25,000 for taking on that role plus meeting
attendance fees) had remained unchanged since before Wizz Air’s initial public offering in 2015 and, following
the benchmarking exercise by WillisTowersWatson, was found to be significantly below even the lowest non-
executive Chairman’s fee for FTSE 250 companies. Given the significantly greater size, complexity and value
of the Company since that date and the increased time commitment of the Chairman to the Company, the
increase brought the Chairman’s fee in line with the median, which is consistent with the Company’s general
policy on pay.
The Non-Executive Directors will also be reimbursed for all proper and reasonable expenses incurred in
performing their duties.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
68
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED
Other disclosures
Directors’ service agreement and letters of appointment
Executive Director
The Chief Executive Officer entered into a new service agreement with the Geneva branch of Wizz Air Hungary
Ltd. (WAHL) on 15 December 2015, for a period of five years, subject to earlier termination upon six months’
notice by either party. WAHL also has the right to terminate Mr Váradi’s employment with immediate effect
by payment in lieu of notice. The service agreement contained post-termination restrictive covenants
preventing Mr Váradi from competing with WAHL or any of its business partners in the EU as well as those
non-EU countries where WAHL operates, for a period of one year following the termination of his employment.
Mr Váradi will be paid a sum equal to six months’ base salary if WAHL chooses to enforce these restrictive
covenants. Upon termination of employment other than for cause, Mr Váradi is entitled to a severance payment
equal to six months’ salary in addition to any notice pay or payment in lieu of notice. Upon a group re-
organization effective from 1 January 2019, the Chief Executive Officer ceased to have a service agreement
with WAHL. Mr Váradi became Group Chief Executive Officer and entered into a service agreement with the
Geneva branch of the Company. The terms and conditions that applied to the service agreement entered into
with WAHL have been restated in his service agreement entered into with the Geneva branch of the Company.
Non-Executive Directors
The Company entered into letters of appointment with each of its Non-Executive Directors on 4 June 2014,
other than Ms. Susan Hooper, Mr. Barry Eccleston, Mr. Peter Agnefjäll and Ms. Maria Kyriacou, which became
effective on completion of the IPO for a term of three years. This term was extended for a further three years,
effective from 2 March 2018. Ms. Susan Hooper was appointed on 1 March 2016 and her appointment was
extended for a further three years on 1 March 2019. Mr. Barry Eccleston, Mr. Peter Agnefjäll and Ms. Maria
Kyriacou were respectively appointed on 1 June 2018, 24 July 2018 and 25 September 2018. Each Non-
Executive Director’s appointment may be terminated by the Company or the Non-Executive Director with one
month’s written notice. Continuation of the appointment is contingent on continued satisfactory performance
and re-election at the Company’s annual general meetings and the appointment will terminate automatically
on the termination of the appointment by the Shareholders or, where Shareholder approval is required for the
appointment to continue, the withholding of approval by the Shareholders. Re-appointment will be reviewed
annually.
In accordance with the terms of the letters of appointment, each of the Non-Executive Directors is required to
allocate sufficient time to discharge their responsibilities effectively. Each letter of appointment contains
obligations of confidentiality which have effect both during the appointment and after termination.
On behalf of the Board
Guido Demuynck
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
31 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
69
GOVERNANCE
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Strong corporate culture supporting our growth
Wizz Air’s culture is something of which we are very proud. At its very heart is a common understanding of
Wizz Air’s mission:
We believe that travel provides opportunities that can make life and the world around us better. That’s
why, at WIZZ, we’re committed to making sure that everyone, everywhere can benefit from travel at
the lowest prices possible, and to setting high benchmarks in safety and reliability.
This mission reflects the engagement of every colleague in the Wizz Air team and the pride they feel to be
working at Wizz Air. It is a mission that everyone is working towards every day and is supported by Wizz Air’s
four corporate values:
(cid:1)
Inclusivity: we collaborate together to achieve our goals
(cid:1) Positivity: we are an optimistic, happy, inspired and inspiring team
(cid:1) Dedication: we have an entrepreneurial ‘can do’ attitude: we take individual and collective ownership and
are accountable for everything we do.
(cid:1)
Integrity: we hold ourselves to the highest possible standards of business ethics in everything we do
These values underpin Wizz Air’s identity and ambition, as well as those of the WIZZ team. We strive to embed
them into every layer of our organization. Wizz Air is different, Wizz Air is special and, now more than ever, as
we continue to grow at an exceptional rate, maintaining our unique culture is something that we all want to
see continue.
Our Approach
As one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe and the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe,
Wizz Air’s ultra low cost business model means that we are able to offer the lowest fares to our customers and
that, in turn, makes flying affordable for more people than ever before and offers the opportunity to travel to
as many people as possible. At the same time, we are also conscious of the many economic, social and
environmental developments impacting our communities and have a number of initiatives. Our initiatives can
be summed up in four pillars: Safety, Environment, People and Economy.
WIZZ cares for your Safety
Since its first flight in 2004, Wizz Air’s number one priority has been the safety and security of its operations.
We have devoted time and resources to ensure that our safety culture and safety procedures are world-class
and we continuously develop our processes, training programmes and monitoring systems to ensure that they
remain so.
Managing safety
Our Safety and Security teams are embedded in our business to ensure the robust management of Wizz Air’s
safety management system and to maintain constant and open dialogue with our regulatory authorities.
Wizz Air has been registered under the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Operational Safety
Audit (IOSA), the global benchmark in airline safety recognition since May 2016. The IOSA program is an
internationally recognised and accepted evaluation system which assesses the operational management and
control systems of an airline, using over 900 standard criteria. The 15-month IOSA certification period includes
training sessions, internal gap analyses and rectifications and an independent audit by an IATA-certified
organization.
Reducing fatigue risks
Wizz Air continuously monitors and assesses the risk of fatigue to guarantee safe flight operations. Its Crew
Management system incorporates fatigue-related information into its decision-making to improve the
identification of fatigue risk. It also generates continuous reports allowing Wizz Air to track and control fatigue
in its operations. Fatigue reports are evaluated on a monthly basis by the Safety Action Group and
Fatigue Team.
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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONTINUED
WIZZ cares for your Safety continued
Dealing with unruly passengers
Wizz Air has a very strict policy against disruptive behaviour on board. Its Unruly Passenger Policy is included
in the Cabin Attendant Manual and all crew members are trained to monitor passenger behaviour in order to
detect and prevent possible unruly behaviour and ensure a safe flight. They also receive extensive conflict
management and self-defence training. Partnering airport handlers are educated on the relevant parts of the
policy and are encouraged to filter people displaying potentially disruptive behaviour in the check-in or at the
gate. Passengers who were involved in disruptive behaviour are put on a no-fly list. Wizz Air’s Unruly Passenger
Policy is regularly revised based on evaluation of the most common issues. In an effort to further discourage
unruly behaviour, in particular smoking on board. Earlier this year Wizz Air has also has joined the “Not on my
Flight” campaign – a new campaign launched by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) in
order to reduce the number of unruly passengers on all European flights and protect the passenger’s right to
a peaceful travel experience.
WIZZ cares for the Environment
WIZZ knows that the aviation industry has a responsibility to take steps to minimise its effects on the
environment. Our business model, which continuously assesses and implements innovative technologies,
decreases our environmental footprint and, with our order of the 256 ultra-efficient Airbus A320neo Family
aircraft that started delivery in March 2019, our environmental footprint will continue to decrease.
Wizz Air’s ultimate goal is to ensure that by choosing to fly with Wizz Air, our customers are making the
greenest choice of air travel available.
Maintaining a young and efficient fleet
Since its very first flight in 2004, Wizz Air has always operated the Airbus A320 family of aircraft and currently
owns one of the youngest fleets in Europe with an average age of 4.8 years1. WIZZ doesn’t only have one of
the youngest fleets, but also one of the most efficient. The Airbus A321neo, which WIZZ introduced in March
2019, is the most efficient single aisle aircraft with the lowest fuel consumption per seat in its category. The
new generation Airbus A321neo aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines and
features the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a single class configuration, offering Wizz Air maximum
flexibility, fuel efficiency and low operating costs. The A321neo delivers exceptional fuel economics by
reducing fuel consumption by 10% compared to the A321ceo, which further translates to a 20% fuel savings
compared to the A320ceo aircraft. The A321neo also offers significant environmental benefits with nearly 50
per cent. reduction in noise footprint as well as 50 per cent. reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared
to previous generation aircraft.
Our policy of operating the newest, most efficient aircraft will remain as we continue to grow – fuel efficiency
is good for our business, good for the environment and good for our customers, as it means we can continue
to offer our lowest fares whilst minimizing environmental impact.
Implementing fuel saving initiatives
Wizz Air is flying one of the most efficient fleets in Europe today. Efficiency means lower unit operating costs
and this ensures that customers are offered the lowest fares. One of the ways that we can reduce each
customer’s environmental footprint is to ensure that, by offering the lowest prices, our aircraft fly with as many
passengers on board as possible. This is referred to as the “load factor” and we have seen our load factor
continuously improving over the past few years. The average load factor of Wizz Air in the 2019 financial year
was 92.8%, increasing from 91.3% in 2018. We aim to increase this by 1% during the 2020 financial year.
WIZZ is currently implementing over 65 various fuel saving initiatives to make sure that we minimise our fuel
consumption. While undeniably good for business, it also means that we operate in as environmentally friendly
a way as possible. Since 2012 we implemented several projects and initiatives, including the improvement of
economic flying speed, descent optimization and zonal drying, which add up nearly 100,000 tons reduction
of CO2 emissions per year, or over 3% per aircraft per year.
1 Data of 31 March 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONTINUED
WIZZ cares for the Environment continued
Implementing fuel saving initiatives continued
A major initiative is the use of sharklets a type of Airbus blended winglet devices, intended to improve the
efficiency of an aircraft and reduce interference drag at the wing. On average, sharklets can reduce the fuel
burn by up to 4% when compared to wingtip fences, which may correspond to an annual saving of 900 tonnes
of CO2 per aircraft according to Airbus2. At the end of FY19, almost 70% of Wizz Air’s fleet was equipped with
sharklets. This number will grow as we phase out older aircraft and, as all of our brand-new Airbus A321ceo
and A320neo Family aircraft will be delivered with sharklets, 100% of our fleet will be equipped with sharklets
by 2024. Furthermore, as the saving potential of sharklets is higher on longer routes, Wizz Air always deploys
aircraft equipped with sharklets for long distances.
As a result of the numerous fuel-saving initiatives, Wizz Air is proud to have one of the lowest emission rates
in European airline industry. In the 2019 Financial Year, our carbon emissions per passenger kilometre were
58.5 grams, down from 59.9 grams in the prior financial year.
Reported CO2 emissions by airline4
78.5
83
92
98
58.5
66.7
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Limiting our paper use
The Wizz Air Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) project aims to minimize the amount of paper-based documents and
increase efficiency in the cockpits of our aircraft. Before we started using EFB, every flight deck of every
aircraft in our fleet contained over 25.000 pages of documentation, of which several pages needed to be
updated on a regular basis. Now, they are now equipped with two Panasonic FZ-G1 Touchpad tablets,
containing all mandatory manuals, as well as some informational materials and company-issued documents.
The long-term EFB project also includes the development of an e-loadsheet, as well as connectivity between
aircraft avionics and the tablets, which will further reduce paper use. Wizz Air also plans to introduce an
electronic quick reference handbook and checklists and to replace the hard copy operational flight plan and
operational logs and forms with electronic versions as well.
WIZZ cares for the People around us
Wizz Air’s operations can affect many people’s lives – those of our colleagues, our passengers and residents
of the communities we serve. We stay loyal to our mission that “We will break down every barrier between
people and air travel”.
We are continuously developing our services to enhance our customer experience and to support the
communities where we operate, but we also work hard to offer new and outstanding career development
support and opportunities for both current and potential WIZZ employees. We believe that our diverse team
is the company’s greatest asset, therefore, we are committed engaging with our colleagues and increase our
already high employee satisfaction rate.
2 http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2013/10/airbus-launches-sharklet-retrofit-for-in-service-a320-family-
aircraft.html
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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONTINUED
WIZZ cares for the People around us continued
Engaging our employees
We want Wizz Air to be not just a great airline, but a great airline to work for. As at 31 March 2019, Wizz Air
employs over 4500 employees across its network, consisting of approximately 2800 cabin crew, 1400 pilots
and 320 office employees. In order to measure the satisfaction level of our employees, we conduct a regular
employee engagement survey, asking for their feedback on major employment topics. The Employee Feedback
Survey carried out in January 2018 had a participation rate of over 70%, and showed that our employees are
highly engaged and that Wizz Air is their employer of choice. The general satisfaction within the WIZZ Team
was 79%, which is 19% higher than the average engagement rate measured in Europe and 14% higher
compared to global results3. Overall, 89% of the WIZZ Team is optimistic about the future of our company.
Wizz Air has also established the WIZZ People Council, a community of WIZZ staff that facilitates an effective
two-way communication between the management and employees, to support the decision-making process
on matters which affect all within the company
In order to strengthen workforce engagement, Wizz Air has decided to appoint an independent non-executive
director to oversee engagement with employees. Mr. Barry Eccleston, who joined the Board of Wizz Air
Holdings Plc on 1 June 2018, was appointed as independent non-executive director overseeing engagement
with employees from 1 January 2019. In his role, Mr. Eccleston ensures the employee voice reaches the
boardroom. As at 31 March 2019, Mr. Eccleston has visited three of the largest bases in Wizz Air network, has
attended sessions of the Wizz People Council, has organized a meeting between all Wizz People Council
members and the Board, has delivered floor talks to Wizz Air office employees and has reported back to the
Board.
Wizz Air offers a competitive salary and rewards the exceptional performance of a number of employees with
its annual Leadership Awards. The winners of the awards receive a number of zero-cost share options which
can be exercised after a three year vesting period. From time to time, employees may receive free tickets for
use throughout Wizz Air’s network, to celebrate exceptional company performance or milestones.
As the company continues to grow and the number of operational bases and countries increases, the
importance of internal communication increases as well. A regular bi-weekly electronic newsletter is
distributed to all employees, containing business updates as well as news about local team events and
individual accomplishments of our team members.
As people are Wizz Air’s most important asset, we are continuously looking to implement new initiatives to
further engage our team and enhance their work experience. Over the course of the past years, the company
introduced a bigger variety in roster patterns for the Flight Crew, a WIZZ Star Crew recognition program for
Cabin Crew and more transparency on open vacancies within the company, amongst many other
improvement projects. We are keen that the talented people who make up the WIZZ Team are able to develop
their careers at Wizz Air and it is gratifying to see a number of colleagues developing their careers by moving
between the operations department and office and vice versa.
Recruiting and developing talents
Wizz Air is continuously recruiting people who are passionate about the aviation industry. The company
recruited 1,200 new employees in the 2019 financial year – which results in an impressive figure of 3.3 new
colleagues joining the company daily.
We strongly invest in the recruitment of talented pilots, via the Wizz Air Cadet Program, a partnership with
BAA Training, which offers young, passionate candidates the required training and a letter of engagement
after successful completion. Wizz Air has also launched and is successfully running its own Pilot Academy in
Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary which provides financial support, including partial sponsorship, to
motivated cadets during their initial training. Pilot Academy cadets who successfully graduate from the
program can begin their employment at Wizz Air as Pilot Trainees.
Wizz Air recently implemented a new standardized Training & Development program and Talent Management
process for its office employees, allowing for an improved formal, systematic evaluation based on agreed
performance goals and a greater focus on each employee’s potential to develop their career with Wizz Air. In
the past 12 months, there have been several examples of internal career progression at both an employee and
management level. These promotions reflect Wizz Air’s principle that talent, commitment and results should
result in career progression. In November 2018, Wizz Air introduced its WIZZdom Journey Training Program
which offers a number of leadership and skills trainings to both office employees and crew stepping into
managerial and office positions. The aim of the program is to provide our employees with the right tools and
development opportunities to excel in their career.
3 Based on the 2017 TRENDS IN GLOBAL EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT report by Aon: http://www.aon.com/engagement18
4 Source: Latest available public data: WIZZ FY19; RY FY18; EZY FY19; KLM, IAG CY2018, LH CY2017
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONTINUED
WIZZ cares for the People around us continued
Committing to diversity and equal opportunities
Since Wizz Air’s foundation in 2003, the company has treated existing and potential employees fairly,
regardless of anything not related to their professional abilities and irrespective of their race, gender or age.
During the recruitment and selection process, we evaluate professional factors including experience and
qualifications in the light of the relevant job requirements and this principle remains throughout employment
with Wizz Air. We expect all of our colleagues to adhere to these same principles, which are set out in The
Wizz Way, our Code of Ethics, along with the expected standards of behaviour for every member of the WIZZ
team.
We value diversity: our international team of over 4500 colleagues brings together more than 51 different
nationalities. At Board level, the ten current Directors are from six different countries and the Company’s
Leadership Team of eleven Officers are from nine different countries.
Within Wizz Air, the overall male to female ratio is balanced, with 51% women working at Wizz Air.
Gender Diversity
Total
Office Employees
Cabin Crew
Flight Crew
Men
Women
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Wizz Air’s continues to strive for equal and non-discriminatory opportunities for all, and is committed to
recruiting both women and men to key positions within its organization. In this past financial year, in a total of
100 office hires, 36% were women and recruitment advisers are instructed to ensure that there is always at
least one female candidate in the short list for senior management positions.
On Officer level the female ratio is 9% with a female Chief Corporate Officer, while two of our ten current
Directors are female and, as the Board searches for additional Directors, it pays particular attention to ensuring
its increased gender diversity.
WIZZ Foundation and WIZZ Aid
During the 2018 financial year, Wizz Air decided to open the WIZZ Foundation, an official funding entity set
up in Hungary, with the aim of supporting the broader community in four different areas: Health, Education,
Child Care and Emergency Aid. The board of trustees consists of four members drawn from Cabin Crew, Flight
Crew and Office. In addition to WIZZ Foundation, Wizz Air also introduced WIZZ Aid, an Employee Emergency
Fund which is designed to provide financial support to colleagues who need urgent medical treatment or
suffer from natural or man-made disasters.
Supporting our communities
Wizz Air understands that affordable air travel is not enough to change the world. That is why we support our
colleagues’ efforts to work with a variety of charitable activities to help local communities in the WIZZ network.
These activities range from collecting donations to help families in Poland, supporting children’s medical
services or donating blood in Hungary, creating better education conditions in Romania or giving presents to
orphans in Macedonia.
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GOVERNANCE
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY CONTINUED
WIZZ cares for the People around us continued
Supporting our communities continued
Wizz Air also aims to support the personal development of young graduates via its annual Wizz Youth
Challenge, organised for two consecutive years already since 2017. This case study competition offers an
interesting challenge to young graduates all over Europe, giving them a chance to develop a project or idea
in a real business environment, and present their cases in front of a jury of industry professionals, gaining useful
feedback and valuable experiences for their further development. The third WIZZ Youth Challenge will be held
in October 2019. Each member of the winning team receives unlimited travel on the Wizz Air network for a
period of one year.
As a company, we keep ourselves lean and efficient – and we strive to give people across our network the
chance to do the same. Because we believe that, just like affordable travel, a healthy and active lifestyle should
be available to everyone. We are proud to sponsor several Central and Eastern European running events,
including the Budapest Half Marathon, our flagship event, and races in Cluj-Napoca, Sofia, Skopje, Kyiv and
Katowice. We also actively promote this healthy lifestyle amongst our employees, by offering them the chance
to join these events to represent Team WIZZ across Central and Eastern Europe. WIZZ cares for the Economy
WIZZ knows affordable air travel can improve the lives of many travellers. But it’s easy to forget how it can
change a destination too. Few things are as good for an economy as direct air links – particularly when those
air links are at Wizz Air’s lowest fares and sustainable operations. And as more and more people have access
to affordable air travel, these travellers boost the economy of the places they visit.
Creating job opportunities
Wizz Air not only provides job opportunities to over 4,500 aviation professionals inside its organisation, but,
through our ever-growing network and operations, we also create numerous new jobs at more than 140
destinations. ACI guidelines suggest that 750 on-site jobs need to be created for every 1 million passengers
carried per year. Based on this, WIZZ supported the creation of 26.000 local jobs in financial year 2019,
carrying 34.6 million passengers on its low-fare routes.
Furthermore, in accordance to its ULCC model, Wizz Air chooses to outsource many supporting tasks at all
levels of the organisation to local, external partners, working in close collaboration with over 5,000 contracted
service providers across its network.
Boosting traffic and tourism
Across Wizz Air’s network, there are several locations where there were no regular air services before Wizz
Air, or where Wizz Air made a significant difference in traffic numbers. After Wizz Air opened its base in Varna,
Bulgaria in 2017, the airport saw a double-digit rise in passengers’ traffic, reaching a record traffic of 2.3 million
passengers in 2018. In Macedonia, largely thanks to Wizz Air’s continued investments, passenger numbers have
tripled in the last ten years and flying interest has boosted. Another example is the Kutaisi International Airport
in Georgia, where in 2018 more than 95% of all passengers were served by Wizz Air. Since the company opened
its base in Kutaisi in September 2016, the airport’s traffic numbers have almost quadrupled, from 182,000
passengers in 2015 to 650,000 in 2018.
Protecting honest and fair business
Wizz Air has implemented internal procedures and measures designed to ensure compliance with all relevant
anti-corruption regulations. The Company’s Anti-Corruption Policy sets out the company’s principles,
prohibitions and practical guidelines relating to bribery or corrupt practices, in order to avoid any corrupt or
improper business practice, for which there is policy of zero tolerance, as well as the avoidance of conflicts of
interest for employees. These policies are part of the mandatory annual training for all WIZZ employees,
ensuring that all employees are up to date.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
The Directors present their report and the audited consolidated financial statements for Wizz Air Holdings plc
(“the Company”) and its subsidiaries (“the Group”) for the year ended 31 March 2019.
Results and dividend
The results for the year are shown on page 88.
The Directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend (2018: nil). The directors consider that currently
the existing reserves of the Group can be best utilised in supporting the significant planned future growth of
the Group.
Directors
The Directors of the Company who were in office during the year and up to the date of signing the financial
statements are listed below:
(cid:1)
József Váradi
(cid:1) William A. Franke
(cid:1) Stephen L. Johnson
(cid:1) Simon Duffy
(cid:1) Guido Demuynck
(cid:1) Susan Hooper
(cid:1) Barry Eccleston (appointed with effect from 1 June 2018)
(cid:1) Peter Agnefjäll (appointed with effect from 24 July 2018)
(cid:1) Maria Kyriacou (appointed with effect from 25 September 2018)
(cid:1) Andrew S. Broderick (appointed with effect from 16 April 2019)
(cid:1)
John McMahon (resigned with effect from 24 July 2018)
(cid:1) Thierry de Preux (resigned with effect from 25 September 2018 2018)
(cid:1)
John R. Wilson (resigned with effect from 16 April 2019)
Going concern
Wizz Air’s business activities, financial performance and financial position, together with factors likely to affect
its future development and performance, are described in the Strategic Report on pages 4 to 27. Principal risks
and uncertainties facing the Group are described on pages 28 to 32. Note 3 to the accounts sets out the
Group’s objectives, policies and procedures for managing its capital and provides details of the risks related
to financial instruments held by the Group.
At 31 March 2019, the Group held cash and cash equivalents of €1,316.0 million while net current assets were
€842.2 million. Other than convertible debt with a balance of €26.8 million the Group has no significant
external borrowings.
The Directors have reviewed financial forecasts including plans to finance future aircraft deliveries. After
making enquiries, the Directors have satisfied themselves that the Group is expected to be able to meet its
commitments and obligations for at least the next twelve months from the date of signing this report.
Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing these financial statements.
Viability
In accordance with provision C.2.2 of the UK Corporate Governance Code (2016), the Directors have assessed
the prospects and the viability of the Group over a three-year period to March 2022. The Directors have
determined that the three-year period was the appropriate period because (i) Wizz Air has a fast-expanding
business which gives less certainty of certain key forecasting assumptions over a longer period; and (ii) the
Group’s strategic planning process traditionally covers three years.
Assessment of prospects
The Group’s prospects are assessed by management and the Board primarily through the strategic planning
process. This three-year plan takes into account the current position of the Group, includes the fully detailed
annual operating plan for the financial year starting (in this case for the year ending March 2020) and then,
building on it, a sufficiently detailed bottom-up forecast for further two financial years. The Board participates
fully in the process by aligning the key assumptions and the topline financial targets, reviewing and approving
the annual operating plan, and reviewing and acknowledging the three-year plan.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
76
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REPORT CONTINUED
Viability continued
Assessment of viability
The plan takes into account the existing aircraft order book of the Group that defines a programmed growth
for several years ahead. Financing of future aircraft deliveries is already secured with lease contracts until the
end of 2019. The Directors believe that the growth assumptions are justified also from the demand side, as the
Group continues to execute its core strategy that is to have lower cost than any of its competitors, and with
low prices stimulate further demand for its services both in existing and new markets.
Although the strategic plan reflects management and the Directors’ best estimate of the future prospects of
the business, they have also tested the resilience of the business to unfavorable deviations of certain key
variables from the base case scenario. In defining these scenarios the Directors took into account the principal
risks that could prevent the Group from delivering on its strategy and financial targets, as summarised on
pages 28 to 32 in the Strategic Report.
As part of this assessment, the Directors made the following key assumptions / caveats:
(cid:1)
there will not be a prolonged grounding of a substantial portion of the aircraft fleet; and
(cid:1) with regards to the expected departure of the UK from the European Union, the terms of exit will be such
that will allow the Group to continue to operate broadly the same network to/from the UK as at present
(due also to the new UK airline entity that started operating during 2018).
The Directors assessed the potential financial impacts of severe but plausible scenarios that the Group could
experience. The scenarios included significant increase in jet fuel prices, significant strengthening of the
US Dollar and weakening of the British Pound to the Euro, decreasing unit revenues, increasing crew costs,
and a combination of these factors. While several risks can impact revenues, increased competition in key
markets was considered the most important risk both in terms of likelihood and potential impact.
The results of the testing showed that, due to the strong competitive position, operating cash flows and
existing reserves of the Group, it would be able to withstand the impact of these scenarios over the period of
the financial forecasts.
Viability statement
Based on this assessment, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group will be able to continue
in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period to March 2022.
Disclosure of information to auditors
The Directors at the date of approval of the financial statements confirmed that, so far as they are aware, there
is no relevant audit information of which the Company's auditors are unaware, and they have taken all the
steps that they ought to have taken as Directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit
information and to establish that the Company's auditors are aware of that information.
Independent auditors
A resolution for the appointment of the auditors of the Company for the financial year ending 31 March 2020
is to be proposed by the Directors at the forthcoming annual general meeting.
Indemnities
Wizz Air maintains directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. This insurance covers any claim that may be
brought against the Directors in the exercise of their duties. Wizz Air has also provided customary third-party
indemnities to its Directors, to the extent permitted under Jersey law.
Political donation and expenditure
Wizz Air works constructively with all levels of government across its network, regardless of political affiliation.
Wizz Air believes in the right of individuals to engage in the democratic process; however, Wizz Air itself does
not make any political donations and does not incur any political expenditure.
Capital structure
As at 31 March 2019, the Company had 72,787,170 Ordinary Shares of £0.0001 each in issue, each with one
vote, and 29,830,503 Convertible Shares, which do not entitle the holder to voting rights save in very limited
circumstances. There were no shares held in treasury at that date. The rights and obligations attaching to the
Company’s shares are set out in the articles of association. Holders of Ordinary Shares have the following
rights:
a)
subject to any rights or restrictions as to voting attached to any Ordinary Shares, on a show of hands,
each Shareholder present in person shall have one vote, and on a poll each Shareholder present in person
or by proxy shall have one vote for every Ordinary Share of which he is the holder;
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
77
GOVERNANCE
DIRECTORS’ REPORT CONTINUED
Capital structure continued
b) a certificated share may be transferred by means of an instrument in writing, either by the usual transfer
form or in any other form that the Board approves, signed by or on behalf of the person transferring the
Ordinary Shares and, unless the Ordinary Shares are fully paid, by or on behalf of the person acquiring
the Ordinary Shares. Ordinary Shares in uncertificated form may be transferred by means of the relevant
system;
c)
the right to receive dividends on a pari passu basis; and
d) on a winding-up, the liquidator may divide amongst the members in specie the whole or any part of the
assets of the Company.
During the 2019 financial year 40,999 new Ordinary Shares were allotted for cash, all on a non-pre-emptive
basis. These were allotted pursuant to the exercise of share options by the employees of the Group.
The aggregate nominal value of the Ordinary Shares allotted for cash in the 2019 financial year was £4.1.
The aggregate cash consideration received by the Company for the allotment of the Ordinary Shares was £
nil.
Corporate governance statement
The corporate governance statement, prepared in accordance with rule 7.2 of the UK Listing Authority’s
Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules sourcebook, can be found in the Wizz Air Holdings Plc Corporate
Governance Report on page 36. The Wizz Air Holdings plc Corporate Governance Report forms part of this
Wizz Air Holdings plc Directors’ Report and is incorporated into it by this reference.
Information required by Listing Rule LR 9.8.4C
In compliance with Listing Rule 9.8.4C, the Company discloses the following information:
Listing Rule
9.8.4(1)
9.8.4(2)
Information required
Interest capitalised by the Group
Unaudited financial information as required (LR 9.2.18)
9.8.4(4)
Long-term incentive plans (LR 9.4.3)
9.8.4(5)
9.8.4(6)
9.8.4(7)
Directors’ waivers of emoluments
Directors’ waivers of future emoluments
Non-pro-rata allotments of equity for cash (the Company)
Relevant disclosure
N//A
Unaudited financial
information was
published by the
Group in its interim
management
statements (for Q1 and
Q3) and in its half-year
results. There have
been no changes to
the unaudited
information previously
published.
See Directors’
Remuneration Report.
N/A
N/A
See paragraph headed
“Capital structure” in
this report.
9.8.4(8)
9.8.4(10)
9.8.4(11)
9.8.4(12)
9.8.4(13)
9.8.4(14)
Non-pro-rata allotments of equity for cash (major subsidiaries) N/A
N/A
Contracts of significance involving a Director
N/A
Contracts of significance involving a controlling shareholder
N/A
Waivers of dividends
N/A
Waivers of future dividends
See Corporate
Agreement with a controlling shareholder (LR 9.2.2.AR(2)(a))
Governance Report.
For and on behalf of the Board
József Váradi
Chief Executive Officer
31 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
78
GOVERNANCE
COMPANY INFORMATION
Registered number
103356
Registered office
44 The Esplanade
St Helier
Jersey
JE4 9WG
Share registrar
Computershare Investor Services (Jersey)
Limited
Queensway House
Hilgrove Street
St Helier
Jersey
JE1 1ES
Secretary
Elian Corporate Services (Jersey) Limited
44 The Esplanade
Financial public relations
FTI Consulting
200 Aldersgate Street
St Helier
Jersey
JE4 9WG
Independent auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Chartered
Accountants and Statutory Auditors
1 Embankment Place
London
WC2N 6RH
United Kingdom
Principal bankers
Citibank
Citigroup Centre
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LB
United Kingdom
London
EC1A 4HD
United Kingdom
Principal legal advisers
Latham and Watkins (London) LLP
99 Bishopsgate
London
EC2M 3XF
United Kingdom
Joint corporate brokers
Barclays Bank PLC
1 Churchill Place
London
E14 5HP
United Kingdom
J.P. Morgan Cazenove
25 Bank Street
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5JP
United Kingdom
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
79
GOVERNANCE
STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
The Directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with
applicable law and regulations.
The Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 requires the Directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year.
Under that law the Directors have prepared the Group financial statements in accordance with International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union. Under company law the Directors
must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the
state of affairs of the Group and of the profit or loss of the Group for that period. In preparing these financial
statements, the Directors are required to:
(cid:1)
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
(cid:1) make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
(cid:1)
state whether applicable IFRSs as adopted by the European Union have been followed, subject to any
material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
(cid:1) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the
Company will continue in business.
The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain
the Company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the
Company and the Group and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies
(Jersey) Law 1991 and the Directors’ Remuneration Report complies with the Companies Act 2006. They are
also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and the Group and hence for taking reasonable
steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the Company’s website. Legislation in
Jersey and the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may
differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
The Directors consider that the annual report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and
understandable and provides the information necessary for Shareholders to assess the Company’s position
and performance, business model and strategy.
Each of the Directors, whose names and functions are listed on pages 39 to 42 confirm that, to the best of
their knowledge:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
the Group financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the
EU, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit of the Group; and
the Strategic Report contained in the annual report includes a fair, balanced and understandable review
of the position and performance of the business and the position of the Group, together with a description
of the principal risks and uncertainties that it faces.
On behalf of the Board
József Váradi
Director
31 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
80
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF WIZZ
AIR HOLDINGS PLC
Report on the group financial statements
Our opinion
In our opinion, Wizz Air Holdings plc’s group financial statements (the “financial statements”):
(cid:1) give a true and fair view of the state of the group's affairs as at 31 March 2019 and of its profit and cash
flows for the year then ended;
(cid:1) have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union; and
(cid:1) have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991.
We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report, which comprise: the
consolidated statement of financial position as at 31 March 2019; the consolidated statement of comprehensive
income, the consolidated statement of cash flows, and the consolidated statement of changes in equity for
the year then ended; and the notes to the financial statements, which include a description of the significant
accounting policies.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and
applicable law. Our responsibilities under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for
the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained
is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Independence
We remained independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our
audit of the financial statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard, as applicable to listed
entities, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.
Our audit approach
Overview
Materiality
(cid:1) Overall group materiality: €15.0 million (2018: €14.3 million), based on 5% of
profit before tax.
Audit scope
(cid:1) The group financial statements are a consolidation of Wizz Air Holdings plc, the
trading subsidiaries Wizz Air Hungary Kft, Wizz Air UK Limited and Wizz Tours
Kft and a number of insignificant intermediate holding, small trading, and
dormant and ceased operation companies.
(cid:1) The accounting for these entities and the group consolidation is largely
centralised in Hungary where the majority of our audit work was performed.
(cid:1) Our audit scope comprised an audit of Wizz Air Holdings plc and the complete
financial information of Wizz Air Hungary Kft and Wizz Air UK Limited, being
the significant components.
Key audit matters
(cid:1) Aircraft maintenance provisioning.
(cid:1) Hedge and derivative accounting.
(cid:1) Accounting for and presentation of one-off items
The scope of our audit and our key audit matters
We designed our audit by determining materiality and assessing the risks of material misstatement in the
financial statements. In particular, we looked at where the directors made subjective judgements, for example
in respect of significant accounting estimates that involved making assumptions and considering future events
that are inherently uncertain. As in all of our audits we also addressed the risk of management override of
internal controls, including testing journals and evaluating whether there was evidence of bias by the directors
that represented a risk of material misstatement due to fraud.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
81
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF WIZZ
AIR HOLDINGS PLC CONTINUED
Report on the group financial statements continued
Our audit approach continued
Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in the auditors’ professional judgement, were of most significance in
the audit of the financial statements of the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of
material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified by the auditors, including those which had the
greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts
of the engagement team. These matters, and any comments we make on the results of our procedures thereon,
were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion
thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. This is not a complete list of all risks
identified by our audit.
Key audit matter
Aircraft maintenance provisioning
How our audit addressed the key audit matter
from
The group operates aircraft, which are held under
operating lease arrangements, and incurs liabilities
for maintenance during the term of the lease.
legal and contractual
Provisions arise
obligations relating to the condition of the aircraft
when it is returned to the lessor. The risk is that with
the
judgement
required in calculating the amount of provision
together with the complexity of the calculation and
the number of variable factors and assumptions, the
provision may be
incomplete and
misstated.
level of management
inaccurate,
inherent
tested
system
(“MPS”) and
We evaluated the integrity of the maintenance
provision
the
calculations therein. This included assessing the
process by which the variable factors within the
provision were
the
estimated,
reasonableness of the assumptions, testing the input
data and re-performing calculations. We found no
significant issues in the MPS input data or the
calculated maintenance assets and provisions. The
basis for these calculations was found to be
consistent with prior periods and in line with the
detailed accounting policy set out in Note 2.
evaluating
invoices,
We compared the cost assumptions in the MPS with
recent
approved
inspected
maintenance plans as well as validated current flight
hours and flight cycles to non-financial data sources.
We found no material exceptions from these
procedures and estimates.
and
We obtained new or amended aircraft
lease
contracts and validated the updated MPS input data.
We found no material exceptions from these
procedures.
Maintenance provisions of €138.3 million for aircraft
maintenance costs in respect of operating leased
aircraft are recorded in the financial statements at 31
March 2019 (refer to Note 29 to the financial
statements).
For aircraft held under operating lease agreements,
the group is contractually committed to either
return the aircraft in a certain condition or to
compensate the lessor based on the actual condition
of the aircraft and its major components upon
return.
Provision is made for the minimum unavoidable
costs of specific future obligations created by the
lease at the time when such obligation becomes
certain. This
is when the respective aircraft
component no longer meets the lease re-delivery
conditions. Commonly there is a warranty period for
components at the start, during which no obligation
arises; provisioning only commences after this
warranty period.
from
At each balance sheet date, the calculation of the
maintenance provision, derived
the
maintenance provision system (MPS), includes a
factors and assumptions
number of variable
including:
likely utilisation of the aircraft; the
expected cost of the heavy maintenance check and
the time it is expected to occur; the condition of the
aircraft; and the lifespan of life-limited parts.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
82
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF WIZZ
AIR HOLDINGS PLC CONTINUED
Report on the group financial statements continued
Our audit approach continued
Key audit matters continued
Key audit matter
Hedge and derivative accounting
How our audit addressed the key audit matter
The group uses derivative and non-derivative
(natural hedges) financial instruments to hedge
transaction currency and jet fuel price risks. The risk
is that because of their materiality to the financial
position of the group, the level of manual input in
monitoring open, closed and settled derivatives and
the complexity of the requirements in order to apply
tailored
hedge
documentation, including details of how hedge
effectiveness is monitored both prospectively and
retrospectively), an error could result in a material
misstatement to the financial statements.
accounting
timely
(e.g.
At 31 March 2019, derivative financial assets
amounted to €31.5 million and derivative financial
liabilities were €18.8 million. Further details are set
out in Notes 2, 3 and 20 to the financial statements.
Accounting for and presentation of one-off items
As disclosed in Note 8 ‘Operating profit’, the group’s
profit before tax has benefitted by €44.5m from a
number of aircraft and engine sale and lease back
contract
certain
transactions
negotiations.
supplier
and
The overall amount is material to the financial
the accounting measurement
statements and
judgements made by management.
includes
Consequently, there is inherent risk of material
misstatement with respect to these transactions.
In addition, disclosure of the impact of these
transactions on the group’s profit before tax needs to
be appropriately prominent to ensure the financial
statements overall are reported as fair, balanced and
understandable.
We evaluated the processes, procedures and
controls in respect of the group’s treasury and other
management functions which directly impact the
relevant account balances and transactions. We
tested
account
reconciliation process, including cut-off procedures.
management’s
year-end
The results of this work allowed us to focus on
substantiating the year-end positions recorded in the
financial statements. We independently obtained
direct confirmations from each of the counterparties
to test the cut-off at the year end. We found no
material exceptions from these confirmations.
We assessed
the appropriateness of hedge
accounting for the derivative financial instruments
and performed testing procedures over the hedge
documentation and effectiveness testing and noted
no significant exceptions. We
tested, using
independent data-feeds, the fair values being
ascribed to those instruments at the year end and
noted no significant exceptions.
We also assessed the appropriateness of the
disclosures in the financial statements in respect of
derivative financial instruments. We did not identify
any significant issues with the measurement or
presentation of the group’s derivative financial
instruments and hedge accounting.
We obtained and reviewed the contracts relevant to
each of the transactions and agreed that purchase
and sale price amounts in respect of sale and lease
back transactions are accurate.
We considered qualitative aspects of each contract,
including the existence of any linkage of purchase
and maintenance contracts and whether lease back
contracts are at fair value. In addition, we used our
valuation experts to conclude on whether sales
prices for sale and lease back items are at fair value
or below.
With respect to supplier contract negotiations, we
obtained and audited the underlying contract and
agreed the accuracy of the amounts being recorded.
We found no material misstatements
in the
accounting measurement and treatment of the
above items. In addition, we are satisfied that the
disclosure as presented is appropriate.
How we tailored the audit scope
We tailored the scope of our audit to ensure that we performed enough work to be able to give an opinion on
the financial statements as a whole, taking into account the geographic structure of the group, the accounting
processes and controls, and the industry in which the group operates.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
83
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF WIZZ
AIR HOLDINGS PLC CONTINUED
Report on the group financial statements continued
Our audit approach continued
How we tailored the audit scope continued
The Group has two reporting segments which comprise the airline and tour operator businesses. The airline
segment consists of Wizz Air Holdings plc and its trading subsidiaries Wizz Air Hungary Kft and Wizz Air UK
Limited, which include branch operations in base countries. The Tour reporting segment consists of the Wizz
Tours Kft operations which sells travel packages to external customers. Wizz Tours was closed during the year.
The airline segment contributes over 98% of revenues and substantially the entire profit before income tax of
the group. Therefore, our audit scope comprised an audit of Wizz Air Holdings plc and the complete financial
information of Wizz Air Hungary Kft and Wizz Air UK Limited, being the only significant components. The
accounting for these entities and the group consolidation is centralised in Hungary.
The audit was performed by a single engagement team comprising individuals based in the UK and in Hungary.
The operations were audited by applying their collective knowledge and understanding of the group and its
financial reporting processes and controls.
In addition to the audit work performed by the engagement team based in Hungary, the UK team members
visited the team in Hungary five times during the audit cycle. These visits involved discussing the audit
approach, key audit matters and issues arising from our work. The UK team members also attended the local
clearance meeting in Hungary and all Audit Committee meetings in Switzerland, either in person or via
telephone call. This gave us the evidence we required for our opinion on the financial statements as a whole.
Materiality
The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. We set certain quantitative thresholds
for materiality. These, together with qualitative considerations, helped us to determine the scope of our audit
and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures on the individual financial statement line items and
disclosures and in evaluating the effect of misstatements, both individually and in aggregate on the financial
statements as a whole.
Based on our professional judgement, we determined materiality for the financial statements as a whole
as follows:
€15.0 million (2018: €14.3 million).
Overall group materiality
5% of profit before income tax.
How we determined it
Rationale for benchmark applied We believe that profit before income tax is the primary measure used
by shareholders in assessing the performance of the group.
We agreed with the Audit Committee that we would report to them misstatements identified during our audit
above €0.75 million (2018: €0.70 million) as well as misstatements below that amount that, in our view,
warranted reporting for qualitative reasons.
Going concern
In accordance with ISAs (UK) we report as follows:
Reporting obligation
We are required to report if we have anything material to
add or draw attention to in respect of the directors’
statement in the financial statements about whether the
directors considered it appropriate to adopt the going
concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial
statements and the directors’ identification of any material
uncertainties to the group’s ability to continue as a going
concern over a period of at least twelve months from the
date of approval of the financial statements.
We agreed to report if the directors’ statement relating to
Going Concern in accordance with Listing Rule 9.8.6R(3)
is materially inconsistent with our knowledge obtained in
the audit as if the Company were a UK registered
company.
Outcome
We have nothing material to add or to draw
attention to. However, because not all future
events or conditions can be predicted, this
statement is not a guarantee as to the group’s
ability to continue as a going concern.
For example, the terms on which the United
Kingdom may withdraw from the European
Union are not clear, and it is difficult to evaluate
all of the potential implications on the group’s
trade, customers, suppliers and the wider
economy.
We have nothing to report.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
84
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF WIZZ
AIR HOLDINGS PLC CONTINUED
Report on the group financial statements continued
Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements
and our auditors’ report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the
financial statements does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion
or, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in this report, any form of assurance thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and,
in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or
our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify an
apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to conclude
whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other
information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of
this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report based on these
responsibilities.
Based on the responsibilities described above and our work undertaken in the course of the audit, ISAs (UK)
require us also to report certain opinions and matters as described below (required by ISAs (UK) unless
otherwise stated).
The directors’ assessment of the prospects of the group and of the principal risks that would threaten
the solvency or liquidity of the group
As a result of the directors’ voluntary reporting on how they have applied the UK Corporate Governance Code
(the “Code”), we are required to report to you if we have anything material to add or draw attention to
regarding:
(cid:1) The directors’ confirmation on page 28 of the Annual Report that they have carried out a robust
assessment of the principal risks facing the group, including those that would threaten its business model,
future performance, solvency or liquidity.
(cid:1) The disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those risks and explain how they are being managed
or mitigated.
(cid:1) The directors’ explanation on pages 76 and 77 of the Annual Report as to how they have assessed the
prospects of the group, over what period they have done so and why they consider that period to be
appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that the group will be
able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period of their assessment,
including any related disclosures drawing attention to any necessary qualifications or assumptions.
We have nothing to report in respect of this responsibility.
We agreed to review the directors’ statement that they have carried out a robust assessment of the principal
risks facing the group and statement in relation to the longer-term viability of the group in accordance with
Listing Rule 9.8.6R(3). Our review was substantially less in scope than an audit and only consisted of making
inquiries and considering the directors’ process supporting their statements; checking that the statements are
in alignment with the relevant provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code (the “Code”); and considering
whether the statements are consistent with the knowledge and understanding of the group and its
environment obtained in the course of the audit. We have nothing to report.
Other Code Provisions
We are required to report to you if, in our opinion:
(cid:1) The statement given by the directors, on page 80, that they consider the Annual Report taken as a whole
to be fair, balanced and understandable, and provides the information necessary for the members to
assess the group’s position and performance, business model and strategy is materially inconsistent with
our knowledge of the group obtained in the course of performing our audit.
(cid:1) The section of the Annual Report on pages 50 to 52 describing the work of the Audit Committee does not
appropriately address matters communicated by us to the Audit Committee.
(cid:1) The directors’ statement relating to the company’s compliance with the Code does not properly disclose
a departure from a relevant provision of the Code specified, under the Listing Rules, for review by the
auditors.
We have nothing to report in respect of this responsibility.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
85
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF WIZZ
AIR HOLDINGS PLC CONTINUED
Report on the group financial statements continued
Reporting on other information continued
Strategic Report and Directors’ Report
In our opinion, the information given in the Strategic Report and the Directors’ Report for the financial year for
which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements.
Directors’ Remuneration Report
The company voluntarily prepares a Directors’ Remuneration Report in accordance with the provisions of the
UK Companies Act 2006. The directors have requested that we audit the part of the Directors’ Remuneration
Report specified by the Companies Act 2006 to be audited as if the company were a UK Registered quoted
company. In our opinion, the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly
prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.
Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
Responsibilities of the directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities set out on page 80, the directors are
responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and
for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. The directors are also responsible for such internal control
as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s ability to continue
as a going concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern
basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the group or to cease operations, or have no
realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our
opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in
accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise
from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be
expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the FRC’s
website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.
Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the company’s members as a body in
accordance with Article 113A of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 and for no other purpose. We do not, in
giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom
this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in
writing.
Other required reporting
Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 exception reporting
Under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion we have not received
all the information and explanations we require for our audit. We have no exceptions to report arising from
this responsibility.
Richard Porter
for and on behalf of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Chartered Accountants and Recognized Auditor
London, United Kingdom
31 May 2019
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
86
ACCOUNTS
AND OTHER
INFORMATION
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
87
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2019
Continuing operations
Passenger ticket revenue
Ancillary revenue
Total revenue
Staff costs
Fuel costs
Distribution and marketing
Maintenance materials and repairs
Aircraft rentals
Airport, handling and en-route charges
Depreciation and amortisation
Net other expenses
Total operating expenses
Operating profit
Financial income
Financial expenses
Net foreign exchange loss
Net financing income/(expense)
Profit before income tax
Income tax expense
Profit from continuing operation
Loss from discontinued operation
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income/(expense) – items that may be
subsequently reclassified to profit or loss:
Net movements in cash flow hedging reserve, net of tax
Currency translation differences
Other comprehensive income/(expense) for the year, net of tax
from continuing operation
Total comprehensive income/(expense) for the year
from continuing operation
from discontinued operation
Earnings per share from continuing operation (Euro/share)
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operation
(Euro/share)
Earnings per share (Euro/share)
Diluted earnings per share (Euro/share)
Note
6,7
6,7
6
8
8
11
11
11
11
12
5
5
5
13
13
13
13
2019
€ million
1,366.1
953.0
2,319.1
(198.6)
(667.9)
(37.8)
(115.1)
(326.0)
(550.3)
(92.7)
(30.9)
(2,019.4)
299.8
6.2
(4.1)
(1.6)
0.5
300.2
(4.9)
295.3
(3.7)
291.6
(6.2)
0.5
(5.7)
285.9
289.6
(3.7)
4.06
2.34
4.01
2.31
2018
€ million
1,132.2
806.8
1,939.0
(147.6)
(479.8)
(33.1)
(98.6)
(276.3)
(465.7)
(90.6)
(54.2)
(1,645.9)
293.0
2.8
(5.0)
(3.5)
(5.7)
287.3
(11.0)
276.4
(1.3)
275.1
10.0
-
10.0
285.1
286.4
(1.3)
4.02
2.19
4.00
2.18
The Notes on pages 93 to 134 are integral part of these financial statements.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
88
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AT 31 MARCH 2019
Note
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
ASSETS
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Restricted cash
Deferred tax assets
Deferred interest
Derivative financial instruments
Trade and other receivables
Total non-current assets
Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Current tax prepaid
Derivative financial instruments
Deferred interest
Restricted cash
Cash and cash equivalents
Total current assets
Total assets
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Equity attributable to owners of the parent
Share capital
Share premium
Reorganisation reserve
Equity part of convertible debt
Cash flow hedging reserve
Cumulated translation adjustments
Retained earnings
Total equity
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Deferred income
Deferred tax liabilities
Derivative financial instruments
Provisions for other liabilities and charges
Total non-current liabilities
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Current tax liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Derivative financial instruments
Deferred income
Provisions for other liabilities and charges
Total current liabilities
Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities
14
15
22
16
21
20
19
18
19
20
21
22
28
28
28
28
28
23
24
26
16
20
29
25
23
24
20
26
29
659.3
20.5
165.8
0.1
2.3
3.0
17.0
867.9
31.7
287.3
2.4
28.5
0.6
23.1
1,316.0
1.689.5
2,557.5
-
379.1
(193.0)
8.3
12.5
0.5
1,320.2
1,527.7
2.1
26.6
104.2
2.2
1.5
45.9
182.5
306.4
-
0.1
0.2
17.3
420.0
103.3
847.3
1,029.8
2,557.5
684.5
17.6
159.4
-
3.4
2.5
43.7
910.9
21.6
195.4
-
31.7
0.2
2.8
979.6
1,231.1
2,142.1
-
379.1
(193.0)
8.3
18.7
-
1,028.7
1,241.9
4.7
26.6
107.3
7.4
0.9
94.8
241.7
249.1
1.8
0.6
0.3
12.8
330.1
63.8
658.5
900.2
2,142.1
The Notes on pages 93 to 134 are integral part of these financial statements.
The financial statements on pages 88 to 134 were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue
on 31 May 2019 and were signed on behalf of the Board.
József Váradi
Chief Executive Officer
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
89
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2019
Share
capital
€ million
28
Share
premium
€ million
28
Reorganisa
tion
reserve
€ million
28
Equity part
of
convertible
debt
€ million
28
Cash flow
hedging
reserve
€ million
28
Cumulated
translation
adjustment
€ million
28
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
379.1
-
(193.0)
-
379.1
(193.0)
8.3
-
8.3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Retained
earnings
€ million
28
Total
equity
€ million
1,028.7
(3.1)
1,241.9
(3.1)
1,025.6
1,238.8
291.6
291.6
-
-
-
(6.2)
0.5
(5.7)
18.7
18.7
-
(6.2)
-
(6.2)
-
-
-
-
0.5
0.5
(6.2)
0.5
291.6
285.9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3.0
3.0
-
3.0
3.0
Note
Balance at 1 April 2018
as stated before
IFRS 15 adjustment*
Balance at 1 April 2018
(restated)
Comprehensive income:
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive
income:
Hedging reserve
Currency translation
differences
Total other
comprehensive income
Total comprehensive
income for the year
Transactions with
owners:
Proceeds from shares
issued (Note 28)
Share-based payment
charge (Note 27)
Total transactions
with owners
Balance at 31 March 2019
*
(193.0)
The Company adopted IFRS 15 on 1 April 2018 using the ‘cumulative effect method’. The impact of the transition to IFRS 15
was a reduction in retained earnings (net of tax) of €3.1 million offsetting (i) an increase of €4.7 million in contract liabilities
(unearned revenues) reported as part of deferred income and (ii) an increase of €1.6million in contract assets reported as part
of trade and other receivables in the consolidated statement of financial position as at 1 April 2018. For more details, please
refer to Note 2.
1,320.2
379.1
12.5
0.5
8.3
-
1 527.7
The Notes on pages 93 to 134 are integral part of these financial statements.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
90
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY CONTINUED
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2018
Share
capital
€ million
28
Share
premium
€ million
28
Reorganisation
reserve
€ million
28
Equity part
of
convertible
debt
€ million
28
Cash flow
hedging
reserve
€ million
28
Retained
earnings
€ million
28
Total
equity
€ million
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6.1
8.7
8.3
8.3
2.6
(6.1)
378.2
378.2
750.3
756.4
(193.0)
(193.0)
Note
Balance at 1 April 2017 as
stated before
Hedge time value
reclassification*
Balance at 1 April 2017
(restated)
Comprehensive income:
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive
income:
Hedging reserve
Total other comprehensive
income
Total comprehensive
income for the year
Transactions with owners:
Proceeds from shares issued
(Note 28)
Share-based payment
charge (Note 27)
Total transactions
with owners
Balance at 31 March 2018
* The Group adopted IFRS 9 by restating the opening balances of reserves on 1 April 2017. The €6.1 million gain that related to
the time value of open hedge instruments was reclassified from retained earnings into the cash flow hedging reserve. This is
presented separately from the other movements in reserves in the year.
-
(193.0)
3.3
1,028.7
0.9
379.1
-
18.7
-
8.3
275.1
275.1
10.0
10.0
10.0
0.9
3.3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
952.5
-
952.5
275.1
10.0
10.0
285.1
0.9
3.3
4.2
1,241.9
The Notes on pages 93 to 134 are integral part of these financial statements.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
91
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2019
Note
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
Cash flows from operating activities
Profit before income tax
Adjustments for:
Depreciation
Amortisation
Write-off of intangibles
Financial income
Financial expense
Gain on sale of PPE
Share-based payment charges
Changes in working capital (excluding the effects of
exchange differences on consolidation)
Increase in trade and other receivables
Increase in restricted cash
Decrease in deferred interest
(Increase)/decrease in inventory
Increase in provisions
Increase in trade and other payables
Increase in deferred income
Cash generated by operating activities before tax
Income tax paid
Net cash generated by operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of aircraft maintenance assets
Proceeds from the sale of available for sale financial assets
Purchases of tangible and intangible assets
Proceeds from the sale of tangible assets
Advances paid for aircraft
Refund of advances paid for aircraft
Interest received
Net cash used in investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from the issue of share capital
Interest paid
Commercial loan repaid
Net cash used in financing activities
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations on cash and
cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
14
15
27
14
14
296.6
87.4
6.8
0.1
(6.4)
5.9
(25.7)
3.0
367.7
(57.5)
(23.8)
0.7
(10.1)
3.0
62.2
79.0
421.2
(14.1)
407.1
(133.0)
-
(61.9)
57.4
0.0
71.3
2.2
(64.0)
-
(3.5)
(3.1)
(6.5)
336.6
979.6
(0.1)
1,316.0
286.1
86.9
3.8
-
(2.8)
8.8
(2.2)
3.2
383.8
(38.3)
(10.6)
2.3
3.3
0.4
49.5
37.4
427.8
(10.9)
416.9
(84.1)
1.0
(25.6)
23.8
(219.8)
94.9
0.9
(208.9)
1.0
(2.8)
(0.6)
(2.3)
205.6
774.0
(0.1)
979.6
The Notes on pages 93 to 134 are integral part of these financial statements.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
92
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1. General information
Wizz Air Holdings plc (“the Company”) is a public company incorporated in Jersey under the address
44 The Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey JE4 9WG. The Company is managed from Switzerland. The Company and
its subsidiaries (together referred to as “the Group” or “Wizz Air”) provide low-cost, low-fare passenger air
transportation services on scheduled short-haul and medium-haul point-to-point routes across Europe and
the Middle East.
2. Accounting policies
The principal accounting policies applied in the presentation of these consolidated financial statements are set
out below.
Basis of preparation
These consolidated financial statements consolidate those of the Company and its subsidiaries. The
consolidated financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU (“Adopted IFRSs” and IFRS IC
interpretations).
Based on the exemption provided in Article 105 (11) of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 the Company does
not present its individual financial statements and related notes.
The financial statements are presented in Euros, which is the functional currency of all companies in the Group
other than Wizz Air UK Limited and two dormant entities, Dnieper Aviation LLC and Wizz Air Ukraine Airlines
LLC.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified
by the revaluation of financial assets and financial liabilities (including derivative instruments) at fair value
through profit or loss.
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with IFRS legislates the use of certain
critical accounting estimates and requires management to exercise judgments in the process of applying the
Group's accounting policies. The areas involving a high degree of judgment or complexity or areas where
assumptions and estimates are significant to the consolidated financial statements are disclosed in Note 4.
Change in presentation
The Group’s liabilities for EU 261 passenger compensation were previously presented as accruals under trade
and other payables in the statement of financial position. However, management considered it to be more
appropriate to present this liability under provisions and applied this presentation in 2019.
Prior year comparatives as at 31 March 2018 have been re-presented by reclassifying €5.5 million from trade
and other payables to current provisions (€3.2 million as at 1 April 2017).
New standards and interpretations
a) Standards, amendments and interpretations effective and adopted by the Group
IFRS 15, ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’
The Group adopted IFRS 15 as of 1 April 2018 that had the following implications for the Group:
a) Under IFRS 15 revenue is recognised as a result of an entity satisfying its promise to transfer goods or
services in a contract with a customer. The Group recognises revenue to depict the transfer of
promised passenger transport service to its customers at a transaction price that the Group expects
to be entitled to in exchange for the service. The Group analysed each of its contractual obligations
to its customers and reviewed if the different services provided by the Group to the passengers and
other partners qualify as a distinct performance obligation. The Group considers a service to be
distinct from the passenger transport service if the customers can benefit from the service on its own
without the purchase of a flight ticket.
As a result of applying the standard, the recognition of certain ancillary revenue items are deferred to
the flight date while they were recognised previously on the date of sales. For the majority of revenue
items, the date of recognition remained unchanged compared to IAS 18 Revenue.
b) The Group also changed the recognition of part of the card acquirer charges which under IFRS 15 is
considered to be an incremental cost of obtaining a contract resulting in the capitalisation of such
costs as a contract asset.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
93
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
New standards and interpretations continued
Standards, amendments and interpretations effective and adopted by the Group continued
c) The Group adopted IFRS 15 using the ‘cumulative effect method’ (without practical expedients), with
the effect of initially applying this standard recognised at the date of initial application (i.e. 1 April
2018). Accordingly, the prior period financial statements have not been restated – i.e. they are
presented as previously reported under IAS 18. The impact on transition to IFRS 15 was a reduction in
retained earnings (net of tax) of €3.1 million at 1 April 2018.
d) The above changes resulted in (i) an increase of €4.7 million in contract liabilities (unearned revenues)
reported as part of deferred income and (ii) an increase of €1.6 million in contract assets reported as
part of trade and other receivables in the consolidated statement of financial position as at 1 April
2018.
e) Compared with the amount that would have been recognised under IAS 18 Revenue, total revenue
under IFRS 15 is lower by €4.2 million in 2019. This €4.2 million change is an aggregate change, being
the sum of the following two impacts: (i) €0.6 million less revenue due to recognizing certain revenues
on flight date as opposed to sales date (see paragraph a. above); and (ii) €3.6 million less revenue
due to netting certain passenger compensation payments (primarily EU 261 compensations) with
revenues.
The Group applied ‘Classification and Measurement of Share-based Payment Transactions – Amendments to
IFRS 2’ for the first time for the financial year commencing 1 April 2018. The impact was immaterial on the
Group’s financial statements and it is not expected that it will significantly affect future periods either.
b) Standards early adopted by the Group
There are no standards early adopted by the Group.
c) Interpretations and standards that are not yet effective and have not been early adopted by the
Group
IFRS 16, ‘Leases’ (effective for the accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019)
IFRS 16 addresses the classification, measurement and recognition of leases with the objective of ensuring that
lessees and lessors provide relevant information that faithfully represents those transactions. The standard
supersedes IAS 17, Leases and was endorsed by the EU in 2017.
The Group currently leases all of its aircraft under operating leases; therefore, IFRS 16 materially impacts the
Group as these leases are now required to be recognised on the balance sheet. An assessment of the estimated
impacts of IFRS 16 has been performed by management and is explained below.
The following key issues were considered for the modelling:
Year of adoption:
The date of application is 1 April 2019, the date required by the standard.
Existing leases and transition:
All of the Group’s aircraft and spare engine operating leases that exist at the date of initial application will
come on balance sheet under the new rules. Other smaller value operating leases (e.g. offices) were considered
as being immaterial for the purposes of this analysis.
The Group chose the full retrospective method of transition, as per the standard, and therefore this method
was applied in the modelling for existing leases. Consequently, the Company will restate its financial
statements for the financial year starting 1 April 2018 in the Annual Report and Accounts for the period ending
31 March 2020.
Future aircraft and leases:
New aircraft scheduled to arrive through March 2020 are all financed, except for two contracts for Airbus
A320neo family aircraft in February-March 2020. For the purposes of this modelling, for these two aircraft it
was assumed that they will be leased in the form of operating leases and under terms similar to those that the
Group most recently entered into.
Among the sale and leaseback contracts entered into for aircraft scheduled to arrive from 1 April 2019 there
are a few that include a repurchase option for the Group. Such contracts do not meet the definition of a sale
under IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and therefore will not be accounted for as a lease
contract under IFRS 16. As a result, the treatment of such contracts for the lessee is to (i) retain the asset as
PP&E (as if there was no sale at all) and (ii) recognise a liability under IFRS 9 (as if the sale proceeds received
from the lessor were receipts from debt financing).
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
94
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
New standards and interpretations continued
c) Interpretations and standards that are not yet effective and have not been early adopted by the
Group continued
Foreign exchange:
The EUR/USD FX rate was 1.12 on the date of initial application. No change was assumed to this rate for the
lease liability going forward therefore potential foreign exchange gains and losses were not included in the
calculation for the 2020 financial year. However, in reality the lease liability (being a monetary liability) will in
the future be regularly revalued to reflect the changes in currency exchange rates where the currency of the
future lease payments differs from the functional currency of the legal entity having the lease liability. In this
respect the most relevant currency pair for the Group is the US Dollar to Euro, as most future payments under
the aircraft lease contracts of the Group are defined in US Dollar while the functional currency of Wizz Air
Hungary Ltd., that holds most of these contracts, is the Euro. The impact of the movements in this currency
pair is well demonstrated on the re-statement of the 2019 financial year, where the strengthening of the USD
versus the EUR resulted in a significant unrealised FX loss from the revaluation of the lease liability under
IFRS 16.
Other important considerations:
Only those payments meet the definition of lease payments under IFRS 16 that are made to lessors and are
certain at the inception of the lease.
With respect to depreciation, the requirements of IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment are applicable also to
the right-of-use assets recognised under IFRS 16. Therefore, component accounting is required for the right-
of-use assets similar to that applicable to owned aircraft or spare engine assets.
The Group’s policy for heavy maintenance accounting for aircraft held under operating lease agreements is
not impacted by IFRS 16.
Discount rate:
The Group is not able to readily determine the interest rate implicit in its lease contracts, therefore the Group
applied its incremental borrowing rate for discounting lease liabilities, as required by para 26 of the standard.
The incremental borrowing rate, in turn, was determined with reference to the market rate of interest
observable on financial instruments with appropriate value, term, and currency, and adjusted, as required, to
reflect risks specific to the leased asset as well as the risk specific to the entity in the Group leasing the asset.
Results of the analysis:
Based on the Group’s provisional estimates, it anticipates that it will recognise the following impacts of IFRS
16 in the 2019 (as restated) and 2020 financial years:
Changes for statements of financial position:
€ million, balance increase / (decrease)
Property, plant and equipment
Retained earnings
Deferred credit (current and non-current)
Lease liabilities (current and non-current)
Changes for statements of comprehensive impact:
€ million, cost decrease / (cost increase)
Aircraft rentals (lease expense)
Depreciation
Other operating expenses
Financial expenses (interest expense)
Foreign exchange impacts
Profit before tax
1 April 2018
1,173 (Dr)
(114) (Dr)
(123) (Dr)
1,410 (Cr)
31 March 2019
1,418 (Dr)
(280) (Dr)
(116) (Dr)
1,815 (Cr)
31 March 2020
1,252 (Dr)
(266) (Dr)
(108) (Dr)
1,626 (Cr)
2019
326
(244)
(19)
(89)
(140)
(166)
2020
400
(278)
(26)
(82)
-
14
IFRS 16 is not expected to impact current tax because the tax books of the relevant subsidiaries of the Group
will continue to be prepared on the current (non IFRS 16) basis. IFRS 16 will have deferred tax effects but these
will not be material in the 2019-2020 financial years.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
95
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Basis of consolidation
The Company controls an entity when the Company is exposed, or it has rights, to variable returns from its
involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. The
Company controls an entity if the Company has all of the following:
(cid:1) power over the entity;
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
exposure, or rights, to variable returns from its involvement with the entity;
the ability to use its power over the entity to affect the amount of its returns from the entity.
Subsidiaries are all entities controlled by the Company. The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in
the consolidated financial statements from the date when control commences until the date when control
ceases. The results of all the subsidiaries are consolidated up to 31 March, which is the financial year end of
the Company. Intra-group balances, and any unrealised gains and losses or income and expenses arising from
intra-group transactions are eliminated in preparing the consolidated financial statements.
Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis which assumes that the Group will
continue in business for the foreseeable future. This assumption is based on the Directors’ assessment of the
Group’s financial performance and position to date, together with a review of its forecasts, in light of the risks
to which the Group is exposed.
Foreign currency
The Group’s presentational currency is the Euro. The functional currency of all the Group entities with the
exception of Dnieper Aviation LLC, Wizz Air Ukraine Airlines LLC and Wizz Air UK Limited is the Euro.
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into functional currency at the exchange rate ruling at the
date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the statement of
financial position date are translated into Euros at the exchange rate ruling at that date. Foreign exchange
differences arising on translation are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income as net foreign
exchange gain/loss within net financing income/expense. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in
foreign currencies and which are recognised at their historical cost are translated into Euros at the exchange
rate at the date of the transaction. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and
which are stated at fair value are translated into Euros at exchange rates ruling at the dates the fair value was
determined.
The functional currency of Dnieper Aviation LLC and Wizz Air Ukraine Airlines LLC is the Ukrainian Hryvnia
(UAH) while the functional currency of Wizz Air UK Limited is the British Pound (GBP).
The results and financial position of all the Group entities that have a functional currency different from the
presentational currency are translated into the presentational currency as follows:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
assets and liabilities for each statement of financial position presented are translated at the closing rate at
the date of that statement of financial position;
income and expenses for each statement of comprehensive income are translated at monthly average
exchange rates (unless this average is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of the rates
prevailing on the transaction dates, in which case income and expenses are translated at the rate on the
dates of the transactions); and
all resulting exchange differences are recognised as a separate component of equity (cumulative
translation adjustments).
The below exchange rates were used for the translation of UAH into Euros in the respective financial
years:
Closing rate
Average rate for the year
2019
30.57
31.50
2018
32.66
32.42
The below exchange rates were used for the translation of GBP into Euros in the respective financial
years:
Closing rate
Average rate for the year
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
2019
0.862
0.858
2018
0.876
0.883
96
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CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Financial assets and liabilities
The Group classifies its financial assets and liabilities – in line with IFRS 9, ‘Financial Instruments’ -– into the
following categories:
Description in the statement
of financial position
Non-current assets
Restricted cash
Trade and other receivables
Current assets
Trade and other receivables
Financial assets available for sale
Derivative financial instruments
Restricted cash
Cash and cash equivalents
Non-current liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debts
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Derivative financial instruments
IFRS 9 Category
Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Fair value through other comprehensive income
Fair value through profit or loss
Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Financial assets measured at amortised cost
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
Fair value through profit or loss
The classification of financial assets depends on the business model for managing the financial assets and
contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial assets determined by the management at initial
recognition.
a) Financial assets measured at amortised cost
These are non-derivative financial assets held by the Group in order to collect contractual cash flows and the
contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of
principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.
The Group’s financial assets measured at amortised cost comprise trade and other receivables, cash and cash
equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of financial position. They are included in current assets,
except for maturities greater than twelve months after the statement of financial position date, which are
classified as non-current assets.
The Group invests excess cash primarily in short-term time deposits. Management does not, in the short term,
plan to have held-to-maturity investments.
b) Financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive income
These are non-derivative financial assets held by the Group in order both to collect contractual cash flows and
sell the financial assets. The contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows
that are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.
c) Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss
Financial assets not valued either at amortised cost or at fair value through other comprehensive income are
valued at fair value through profit or loss. Derivatives are measured at fair value through profit or loss.
d) Financial liabilities measured at amortised cost
All financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost unless they are measured at fair value through profit or
loss. The Group’s other financial liabilities comprise trade and other payables and interest-bearing loans and
borrowings (including convertible debt) in the statement of financial position. They are included in current
liabilities, except for maturities greater than twelve months after the statement of financial position date that
are classified as non-current liabilities.
e) Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss
Derivatives are measured at fair value through profit and loss by the Group.
The recognition and measurement criteria for each class of asset and liability are described in the relevant
accounting policy section.
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Financial assets and liabilities continued
Derivative financial instruments and hedging
Derivative financial instruments
Derivative financial instruments are recognised initially at fair value. The gain or loss on remeasurement to fair
value is recognised immediately in the statement of comprehensive income within financial income or
expenses. However, where derivatives qualify for hedge accounting, recognition of any resultant gain or loss
depends on the nature of the item being hedged (see below). The Group enters into foreign exchange and jet
fuel price hedging transactions to minimise the impact of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and fuel price
on the Group. Both types of hedging transactions are cash flow hedges under IFRS 9.
Cash flow hedges
The Group uses zero cost collar and outright forward contracts to hedge commodity and foreign exchange
risks. Derivatives can only be entered into with counterparties with investment-grade credit rating. The spot
and forward elements of forward contracts and the entire value (intrinsic and time value) of options are
designated as the hedging instrument.
Where a derivative financial instrument is designated as a hedge of the variability in cash flows of a recognised
asset or liability, or a highly probable forecast transaction, the effective part of any unrealised gain or loss on
the derivative financial instrument is recognised directly in the hedging reserve within other comprehensive
income. Any ineffective portion of the hedge is recognised immediately in the statement of comprehensive
income as financial income or expenses.
The associated cumulative gain or loss on the effective part is removed from other comprehensive income
and recognised in the statement of comprehensive income in the respective operating expense line(s) in the
same period or periods as the hedged forecast transaction.
The Group considers a hedge relationship to be effective if
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
an economic relationship exists between the hedged item and the hedging instrument, and there is an
expectation that the value of the hedging instrument and the value of the hedged item would move in the
opposite direction as a result of the common underlying or hedged risk, and
the effect of credit risk does not dominate the value changes associated with the hedged risk, and
the hedge ratio is aligned with the requirements of the Group’s risk management strategy.
The Group does not de-designate and thereby discontinue a hedging relationship that still meets the risk
management objective; and continues to meet all other qualifying criteria (after taking into account any
rebalancing, if applicable).
The hedge ratio applied by the Group is always 100%. The hedge ratio is defined as the relationship between
the quantity of the hedging instrument and the quantity of the hedged item.
When a hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated or exercised, the cumulative gain or loss at that point
remains in other comprehensive income and is recognised in accordance with the above policy when the
hedged transaction is recognised in the statement of comprehensive income. If the hedged transaction is no
longer expected to take place, the cumulative unrealised gain or loss recognised in other comprehensive
income is recognised in the statement of comprehensive income immediately.
Before expiry, the fair value of an option comprises: i) its intrinsic value, being a function of the difference
between contracted and market (or spot) prices; and ii) its time value, being the difference between the fair
value and the intrinsic value at any point in time. Subject to hedge effectiveness, any increase or decrease in
the fair value of the hedging instrument is taken to equity within other comprehensive income or expense.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
98
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Financial assets and liabilities continued
Derivative financial instruments and hedging continued
Cash flow hedges continued
Accordingly:
(cid:1)
Initial recognition: the open position on the derivative hedging instrument is recorded as an asset or
liability in the statement of financial position at fair value.
(cid:1) Subsequent remeasurement of unexpired options: (i) the effective portion of changes in the fair value is
recorded in other comprehensive income, (ii) the ineffective portion, if any, are recorded as financial
income or expense in the statement of comprehensive income.
(cid:1) The realised gains or losses on the hedging instrument are recorded against the respective operating
expense line(s) in the statement of comprehensive income.
The calculation method of hedge effectiveness is critical terms match. Hedge effectiveness testing is
performed at inception, at each reporting date, and upon a significant change in the circumstances affecting
the hedge effectiveness requirements. Such significant change can occur as follows:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
changes in timing of the payment of the hedged item;
reduction in the total amount or price of the hedged item;
location differences; and
a significant change in the credit risk of either party to the hedging relationship.
The ineffective part of changes in fair value, if any, is recorded as financial income or expense in the statement
of comprehensive income.
Hedging with non-derivatives
The Group uses its selected financial assets denominated in US Dollars to hedge highly probable future
expenses in US Dollar. The Group applies hedge accounting to part of its non-derivate financial assets, in the
interest of reducing the amount of unrealised foreign exchange gains or losses resulting from the periodic
revaluation of these assets.
The accounting treatment of non-derivatives designated as hedging instruments is identical to the accounting
treatment of derivatives in the sense that:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
the unrealised gains or losses on hedging instruments are recorded as an asset or liability in the statement
of financial position at fair value, and the effective portion of changes in the fair value is recorded in other
comprehensive income; and
the realised gains or losses on the hedging instruments are recorded against the respective expense line(s)
in the statement of comprehensive income.
Trade and other receivables
(cid:1) Trade and other receivables are initially recognised when the Group becomes party to the contractual
provisions of the instrument and subsequently measured at their amortised cost using the effective
interest rate method less impairment losses.
(cid:1) The carrying amount of the asset is reduced through recognising the loss in the statement of
comprehensive income within other expenses. Subsequent recoveries of amounts previously written off
are credited against other expenses in the statement of comprehensive income.
(cid:1) Other receivables include amounts receivable from aircraft and spare engine lessors (in the form of
security deposits and maintenance reserves paid) and also prepayments, deferred expenses and accrued
income (see Note 19). The accrued income within other receivables also comprises insurance claims
related to events that are covered by insurance contracts. The Group recognises the income in the financial
statements only from those insurance claims which, based on management’s judgment, are virtually
certain to be received by the Group.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
99
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Financial assets and liabilities continued
Impairment policy of trade and other receivables
Management reviewed the Group’s different customer payment channels and the receivables from these
channels. The most significant business case is ticket sales and the various forms of payment for tickets. The
vast majority of tickets are paid either by bank cards or with bank transfer, in any case prior to flight. Based
on their nature, in practice there is no impairment required for these. The other, less significant business cases
involving credit risk are commissions receivable from non-ticket revenue partners and marketing support
receivable from airports and other parties. Management reviewed the historic payment and impairment
statistics for the transactions in these channels and considered the future plans of the Group and concluded
that the impairment of receivables in these channels does not have a material impact on the financial
statements of the Group.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and call deposits repayable on demand or which mature
within three months of inception. Cash held in money market funds is also included in cash and cash
equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents do not include restricted cash. Cash and cash equivalents are netted
only when right of offset has been obtained.
Restricted cash
Restricted cash represents cash deposits held by the banks that cover letters of credit, issued by the same
bank, to certain suppliers. Restricted cash is split between non-current and current assets depending on the
maturity period of the underlying letters of credit.
Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables are initially recognised when the Group becomes party to the contractual provisions
of the instrument and subsequently stated at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. Trade
and other payables comprise balances payable to suppliers, authorities and employees.
Interest-bearing borrowings
Interest-bearing borrowings are recognised initially at fair value less directly attributable transaction costs.
Subsequent to initial recognition, interest-bearing borrowings are stated at amortised cost with any difference
between cost and redemption value being recognised in the statement of comprehensive income as a financial
expense over the period of the borrowings on an effective interest rate basis. Financial expenses also include
withholding tax paid on the interest if according to the loan agreement the payment of withholding tax is the
liability of the Group.
Convertible debt
Convertible debt instruments that can be converted to share capital at the option of the holder, where the
number of shares issued does not vary with changes in their fair value, are accounted for as compound
instruments. Transaction costs that relate to the issue of a compound instrument are allocated to the liability
and equity components in proportion to the allocation of proceeds. The liability component is recognised
initially at the fair value of a similar liability that does not have an equity conversion option. The equity
component of the compound instrument is calculated as the excess of the issue proceeds over the value of
the liability component.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
100
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Financial assets and liabilities continued
Classification of compound instruments issued by the Group
Compound instruments issued by the Group are treated as equity (i.e. forming part of Shareholders’ funds)
only to the extent that they meet the following two conditions:
a) they include no contractual obligations upon the Company (or Group as the case may be) to deliver cash
or other financial assets or to exchange financial assets or financial liabilities with another party under
conditions that are potentially unfavourable to the Company (or Group); and
b) where the instrument will or may be settled in the Company’s own equity instruments, it is either a
non-derivative that includes no obligation to deliver a variable number of the Company’s own equity
instruments or it is a derivative that will be settled by the Company exchanging a fixed amount of cash or
other financial assets for a fixed number of its own equity instruments.
To the extent that this definition is not met the proceeds of issue are classified as a financial liability measured
at amortised cost. Where the instrument so classified takes the legal form of the Company’s own shares, the
amounts presented in these financial statements for called up share capital and share premium account
exclude amounts in relation to those shares.
Where a compound instrument that contains both equity and financial liability components exists these
components are separated by recognising the liability at fair value and accounted for individually under the
above policy. The finance cost on the financial liability component is correspondingly higher over the life of
the instrument.
Finance payments associated with financial liabilities are dealt with as part of finance expenses. Finance
payments associated with compound instruments that are classified in equity are dividends and are recorded
directly in equity.
Impairment of financial assets
A loss allowance is recognised on financial assets carried at amortised cost or fair value through other
comprehensive income for expected credit losses.
At each reporting date the Group measure the loss allowance for financial assets at an amount equal to the
lifetime expected credit losses if the credit risk on a financial asset has increased significantly since initial
recognition.
If at the reporting date the credit risk on a financial asset has not increased significantly since initial recognition,
the Group measure the loss allowance for that asset at an amount equal to 12-month expected credit losses.
If the Group has measured the loss allowance for a financial instrument at an amount equal to lifetime expected
credit losses in the previous reporting period, but determines at the current reporting date that the credit risk
on a financial asset has not increased significantly since initial recognition, the Group measure the loss
allowance at an amount equal to 12-month expected credit losses at the current reporting date.
The Group recognise in profit or loss, as an impairment gain or loss, the amount of expected credit losses (or
reversal) that is required to adjust the loss allowance at the reporting date to the amount that is required to
be recognised in accordance with IFRS 9.
Current trade and other receivables are discounted where the effect is material.
Non-financial assets and liabilities
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.
Where parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as
separate items of property, plant and equipment.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Non-financial assets and liabilities continued
Property, plant and equipment continued
Depreciation is charged to the statement of comprehensive income on a straight-line basis to write off cost to
residual value over the estimated useful economic lives of each part of an item of property, plant and
equipment. In the case of certain aircraft maintenance assets, the useful economic life of the asset can be
defined in terms of flight hours or flight cycles, and in this case the depreciation charge is determined based
on the actual number of flight hours or flight cycles. The estimated useful lives of the relevant asset categories
are as follows:
Land and buildings (or investments made
on these)
Aircraft maintenance assets (for leased
aircraft or spare engine)
Aircraft parts
Fixtures and fittings
three to five years, being the shorter of useful economic life
and the lease term
one to ten years, or 2,000-10,000 flight cycles in case of aircraft
engines, being the shorter of useful economic life and the lease
term
seven years
three years
The residual values and useful lives are re-assessed annually.
Assets received free of charge
In certain cases the Group receives assets free of charge. These are treated as non-cash items in the statement
of cash flows.
Component accounting
For spare engines purchased, on acquisition, an element of the cost of the engine is attributed to its service
potential, reflecting its maintenance condition, and is depreciated over the period until the engine’s next major
overhaul. The residual cost, representing the part of the engine’s value that is independent from its service
condition, is depreciated until the end of the engine’s estimated useful economic life (currently 20 years).
Advances paid for aircraft – pre-delivery payments (PDP)
Pre-delivery payments (PDP) are paid by the Group to aircraft and engine manufacturers for financing the
production of the ordered aircraft or spare engine as determined by the contractual terms. Such advance
payments for aircraft or spare engines are recognised at cost and classified as property, plant and equipment
in the statement of financial position. The amount is not depreciated.
The Group may enter into sale and leaseback arrangements with lessors to finance future aircraft or spare
engine deliveries. These arrangements are structured such that the right and the commitment to purchase the
aircraft or spare engine are assigned to the lessor only on the date of delivery (a “delivery date assignment”);
as such, the recognition and classification of the PDP balance does not change when the sale and leaseback
contracts are signed. On the delivery of the aircraft or spare engine the lessor pays the full purchase price of
the asset to the manufacturer and the Group receives from the manufacturer a refund of the PDPs paid. At
this moment the fixed asset is de-recognised from the statement of financial position and any gain or loss
arising is transferred to the statement of comprehensive income as an operating income or expense.
Advances paid for aircraft maintenance assets – engine fleet hour agreements (FHA)
Advances paid for aircraft maintenance assets represent advance payments made in relation to heavy
maintenance scheduled to be performed in the future (for the definition of heavy maintenance see the
accounting policy section on maintenance). Such advance payments are made by the Group particularly to the
engine maintenance service provider under fleet hour agreements (FHA). Such advance payments are
recognised at cost and classified as property, plant and equipment in the statement of financial position. The
amount is not depreciated.
The balance of such assets is re-categorised into aircraft maintenance assets within property, plant and
equipment at the time when the aircraft maintenance asset is recognised in respect of the same component
and the same heavy maintenance event. This is when the component no longer meets the conditions set out
in the lease agreement. Advances paid for aircraft maintenance are not depreciated.
In the statement of cash flows the FHA payments are shown under the purchase of maintenance assets line
together with other aircraft maintenance asset purchases.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
102
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Non-financial assets and liabilities continued
Intangible assets
Intangible assets that are acquired by the Group are stated at cost less accumulated amortisation and
impairment losses.
Web development costs are capitalised to the extent they are expected to generate future economic benefits
and meet the other criteria described in IAS 38, Intangible Assets.
Subsequent expenditure on capitalised intangible assets is capitalised only when it increases the future
economic benefits embodied in the specific asset to which it relates. All other expenditure is expensed
as incurred.
Amortisation is charged to the statement of comprehensive income on a straight-line basis over the estimated
useful economic lives of intangible assets, except where the asset is expected to have indefinite useful
economic life. Intangible assets are amortised from the date they are available for use. The estimated useful
lives are as follows:
Software licences
Web and other software development costs
Airport landing rights
three to eight years
three to five years
indefinite
Inventories
Inventories (mainly spares) are purchased for internal use and are stated at cost unless impaired or at net
realisable value if any items are to be sold or scrapped. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the
ordinary course of the business less the estimated selling expense. Cost is based on the average price method
and includes expenditure incurred in acquiring the inventories and bringing them to their existing location and
condition.
Emissions Trading Scheme
As of 2012 the scope of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme 2008/101/EC (EU ETS) covers airlines. The Group
is required to formally report its annual actual emissions to the relevant authorities and surrender emission
allowances (EUAs) equivalent to the emissions made during the year. Surrendered allowances are a
combination of the free allowances granted by the authorities and allowances purchased by the Group from
other parties. The Group follows the “cost method” of booking the allowances: the free allowances have nil-
cost value so therefore are not recognised as an asset; and allowances purchased in the market are recorded
at the purchase price in inventory. The Group is given free allowances by the competent authorities, and the
net economic impact to the Group is therefore represented by the shortfall between the actual carbon emitted
and the free allowances given to the Group for that period. The shortfall is recorded at purchase prices as a cost.
The amount of the shortfall is determined in line with the Group’s plans with respect to the utilisation of free
allowances. In this respect there was a change in the Group’s practice during the 2019 financial year: in the
submission for calendar year 2017 the Group utilised only the free allowances received for that year, while in the
submission for calendar year 2018 it utilised the free allowances received for both 2018 and 2019 (as the latter
were also received before the submission for 2018).
The application of this accounting treatment means that the statement of comprehensive income and the
statement of financial position reflect the net economic impact and are not grossed up to reflect the
full obligation for the allowances that the Group will have to surrender.
The Group applies the “own usage” exemption under IFRS 9 meaning that ETS forward contracts are not
considered to be financial derivatives for accounting purposes. As a result, the fair value of open ETS forward
contracts at year end is not recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.
Deferred interest
The Group enters into sale and leaseback agreements to finance future aircraft or spare engine deliveries. In
some cases in the past it also entered into arrangements to finance the PDPs of such deliveries. Interest
accrued on loans to finance the PDPs on aircraft or spare engines was initially recognised under property plant
and equipment (advances paid for aircraft). When the leased aircraft or spare engine was delivered, the PDP
interest balance was reclassified within the statement of financial position from property, plant and equipment
into deferred interest. The interest is then amortised to the statement of comprehensive income during the
term of the respective lease contract.
The Group recognises in the deferred interest line also the effect of the discounting adjustment of
non-current receivables.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
103
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Non-financial assets and liabilities continued
Impairment of non-financial assets
The carrying amounts of the Group’s assets are reviewed at each statement of financial position date to
determine whether there is any indication of impairment. If any such indication exists, the asset’s recoverable
amount is estimated. The recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s fair value less costs to dispose and
value in use. An impairment loss is recognised whenever the carrying amount of an asset or cash-generating
unit exceeds its recoverable amount. Impairment losses are recognised in the statement of comprehensive
income.
Employee benefits
Share-based payment transactions
The Group operates an equity-settled share option programme that allows Group employees to acquire shares
in the Company. The options are granted by the Company. The fair value of options granted is recognised as
an employee expense with a corresponding increase in equity. The fair value is measured at grant date and
spread over the period during which the employees become unconditionally entitled to the options. The fair
value of the options granted is measured using an option valuation model, taking into account the terms and
conditions upon which the options were granted. The amount recognised as an expense is adjusted at any
measurement date so that the cumulative expense to date reflects the actual number of share options that are
expected to vest (except where the number of shares to vest depends on the share price performance of the
Company, which is a market condition under IFRS 2 and is therefore not updated).
Provisions
A provision is recognised in the statement of financial position when the Group has a present legal or
constructive obligation as a result of a past event, and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefit will
be required to settle the obligation.
If the effect is material, provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax
rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and, where appropriate, the risks
specific to the liability (please see further details of aircraft maintenance provisions in the accounting policy
section on maintenance).
Revenue
Revenues are disaggregated differently under IAS 18 and IFRS 15.
Revenue under IAS 18 comprises passenger ticket revenues (being the invoiced value of flight seats) and
ancillary revenues.
Passenger ticket revenue arises from the sale of flight seats and is recognised net of government taxes in the
period in which the service is provided, that being when the airplane has departed. Where charges levied by
airports or government authorities on a per passenger basis represent a government tax in fact or in substance,
then such amounts are presented on a net basis in the statement of comprehensive income (netted between
revenue and airport, handling and en-route charges lines). Unearned revenue represents flight seats sold but not
yet flown and is included in deferred income. Refunds made to passengers are recorded as reductions in revenue.
Ancillary revenue arises from the sale of other services made by the Group and from commissions earned in
relation to services sold on behalf of other parties. Revenues from other services comprise mainly baggage
charges, booking/payment handling fees, airport check-in fees, fees for various convenience services (priority
boarding, extended legroom and reserved seats) and loyalty programme membership fees. Commission
revenue arises in relation to the sale of on-board catering, accommodation, car rental, travel insurance, bus
transfers, premium calls and co-branded credit cards. Ancillary revenues are recognised as revenue when
performance obligations have been satisfied (i.e. all the benefits associated with the performance obligation
have been transferred to the customer). This, depending on the type of service, might be either the date of
sale, the date of flight or (in the case of membership fees) over the period when customers take benefit of a
paid membership.
The disaggregation of revenues into passenger ticket revenues and ancillary revenues, as applied in the
statement of comprehensive income, is a non-GAAP measure (or Alternative Performance Measure). The
Group did not change the disaggregation of revenue, as applied under IAS 18, to that defined under IFRS 15.
The existing presentation is considered relevant for the users of the financial statements because (i) it mirrors
disclosures presented outside of the financial statements and (ii) it is regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating
Decision Maker for evaluating financial performance.
Revenues under IFRS 15 are disaggregated into revenues from contracts with passengers and with other
business partners, respectively. These two categories represent revenues that are distinct from a nature, timing
and risks point of view. This split, as required under IFRS 15, is presented in Note 7.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
104
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NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Revenue continued
Accounting for membership fees
The Group operates the Wizz Discount Club (“WDC”) loyalty program for its customers. Under this program
customers can pay an annual membership fee, with the key benefit that during most of the twelve-month
membership period they get access to special fares that are lower than the standard ticket prices.
The Group recognises the revenue from the membership fees following the pattern of customers taking
benefits from the program. This pattern is determined by management once a year, on the basis of the actual
distribution of member flights in the preceding twelve months, and then applied prospectively as an estimate
for the future. It is unlikely that there would be a material change in the pattern within one year, because the
underlying fact patterns (for customers to buy membership, to buy tickets and then to fly those tickets) are
reasonably stable.
Leases
Finance leases
If the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of an asset are substantially transferred to Wizz Air then it is
accounted for as a finance lease. The following five criteria can indicate such situation:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
there is transfer of ownership of the asset at the end of lease term;
there is an option to purchase the asset at sufficiently below fair value; therefore, it is reasonably certain
that the option will be exercised;
the lessee holds the assets for the major part of the assets' economic life;
the asset is so special that it can be used only by the lessee; and
the present value of minimum lease payments is substantially all of the fair value of the asset.
Management uses the above criteria as guidelines for its analyses; however, the substance of a transaction is
always considered during the assessment.
Management assesses each leasing contract individually at initial recognition based on the above
discussed criteria.
Finance leases are capitalised at the lease’s commencement at the lower of the fair value of the leased asset
and the present value of the minimum lease payments.
Operating leases
Leases in which a significant portion of the risks and rewards of ownership are retained by the lessor are
classified as operating leases. Payments made under operating leases are recognised in the statement of
comprehensive income on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Lease incentives received are
recognised in the statement of comprehensive income as an integral part of the total lease expense.
Sale and leaseback transactions
The Group enters into transactions whereby it assigns to a third party the right to acquire new aircraft or spare
engines. On delivery of the aircraft or spare engine, the Group will lease the aircraft or spare engine back
through an operating lease from the same party. Any gain arising on disposal, to the extent the price that the
aircraft or spare engine is sold for is above fair value, is recognised initially in deferred income and then
amortised on a straight-line basis over the lease term of the asset. Any other gain, as long as there is sufficient
comfort on the reliability of the fair value, is recognised immediately in the statement of comprehensive income
under net other expenses.
Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance provisions
For aircraft held under operating lease agreements, the Group is contractually committed to either return the
aircraft in a certain condition or to compensate the lessor based on the actual condition of the aircraft and its
major components upon return. Provision is made for the minimum unavoidable costs of specific future
obligations created by the lease at the time when such obligation becomes certain. This is when the respective
aircraft component no longer meets the lease re-delivery conditions. The provision is used through the
completion of a maintenance event such that the component again meets the re-delivery conditions.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
105
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Maintenance continued
Aircraft maintenance assets
Heavy maintenance relates to the overhaul of engines and associated components, the replacement of life
limited parts, the replacement of landing gears and the non-routine airframe inspection and rectification works.
Under normal operating conditions heavy maintenance relates to work expected to be performed no more
frequently than every two to four years.
The cost of heavy maintenance is capitalised and recognised as a tangible fixed asset (and classified as “aircraft
maintenance assets”) at the earlier of: (a) the time the lease re-delivery condition is no longer met (see above
under aircraft maintenance provisions); or (b) when maintenance, including enhancement, is carried out. Other
maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.
Such maintenance assets are depreciated over the period the Group benefits from the asset which is the
shorter of: (a) the estimated period until the next date when the lease re-delivery condition is no longer met;
or (b) the end of the asset’s operational life; or (c) the end of the lease.
For engines and associated components, depreciation is charged on the basis of flight hours or cycles, while
for other aircraft maintenance assets depreciation is charged evenly over the period the Group expects to
derive benefit from the asset.
Components of newly leased aircraft such as life limited parts and engines are not accounted for as separate
assets, and the inherent benefit of these assets which are utilised in the period from inception of the lease until
the time the assets no longer meet the lease re-delivery condition is reflected in the payments made to the
lessor over the life of the lease.
Aircraft maintenance assets are non-monetary items. Non-Euro amounts are translated on inception to Euro
and are not retranslated.
The recognition of aircraft maintenance assets against provisions for other liabilities and charges in the
statement of financial position is a transaction not involving cash flows. In the statement of cash flows the
spending on these assets is presented as “purchase of aircraft maintenance assets” in the period when cash
actually flows out of the Group. This can happen either before or after the recognition of the asset, depending
on the exact facts and circumstances associated with the relevant asset or assets.
Please refer also to the property, plant and equipment section of accounting policies.
Other receivables from lessors – maintenance reserve
Payments for aircraft and engine maintenance, as stipulated in the respective operating lease agreements, are
made to the lessors as a security for the performance of future heavy maintenance works. The payments are
recorded as receivables from the lessors until the respective maintenance event occurs and the reimbursement
with the lessor is finalised. Any payment that is not expected to be reimbursed by the lessor is recognised
within operating expenses (aircraft rentals) in the statement of comprehensive income.
Other
The Group enters into agreements with maintenance service providers that guarantee the maintenance of
major components at a rate defined in the contract, the prime example being fleet hour agreements (FHAs)
for aircraft engines. Such FHAs cover the cost of both scheduled and unscheduled engine overhauls. FHA
payments are accounted for as follows:
(cid:1) Payments for scheduled maintenance work are recognised as advances paid for aircraft maintenance
assets until the maintenance asset for the respective engine overhaul is created. After this point any further
FHA payments are either used to settle previously established aircraft maintenance provisions (to the
extent a provision for the respective FHA contract exists) or, in the absence of a provision, are added to
the amount previously capitalised within property, plant and equipment as advances paid for aircraft
maintenance assets.
(cid:1) Payments that are made to provide guaranteed coverage for the performance of unscheduled
maintenance events are considered as insurance payments and are expensed as incurred.
Please refer to the property, plant and equipment section of accounting policies.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
106
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
2. Accounting policies continued
Supplier credits
The Group receives certain assets (cash contributions or aircraft spares) for nil consideration in connection
with its acquisition of aircraft and of major aircraft parts.
Cash contributions or aircraft spares received are recognised as an asset in the statement of financial position.
The corresponding credits are recognised as income, typically deferred and spread equally across the shorter
of useful economic life and the lease term of the respective aircraft.
In certain cases the concessions receivable from a component manufacturer are linked to the Group’s
commitment to purchase a number of new aircraft with the manufacturer’s components installed on those. In
such case, in substance, the right to the concessions is earned by the Group through the delivery of the
respective aircraft. In certain cases the concessions might be delivered by the component manufacturer later
than the date when the respective aircraft is taken by the Group. If so, then the right earned for the concession
is recognised at the date of the aircraft delivery as part of trade and other receivables, with a corresponding
credit to deferred income. Following this, the credits are amortised on a straight-line basis over the lease term
of the respective asset, decreasing aircraft rental expenses.
Net financing costs
Net financing costs comprise interest payable, finance charges on finance leases, interest receivable on funds
invested and foreign exchange gains and losses that are recognised in the statement of comprehensive
income.
Interest income and interest payable are recognised in the statement of comprehensive income using the
effective interest method.
Non-cash elements of financial income and expenses are eliminated from the statement of cash flows as an
adjusting item whereas cash elements, e.g. realised foreign exchange gains and losses, are included in the
statement of cash flows.
Share capital
Ordinary Shares are classified as equity. Qualifying transaction costs directly attributable to the issuing of new
shares are debited to equity, reducing the share premium arising on the issue of shares.
Taxation
Taxation on the profit or loss for the year comprises current and deferred tax. Income tax is recognised in the
statement of comprehensive income except to the extent that it relates to items recognised directly in equity,
in which case it is recognised in equity.
Current tax is the expected tax payable on the taxable income for the year, using tax rates enacted at the
statement of financial position date, and any adjustment to tax payable in respect of previous years.
Deferred tax is provided on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for
financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The following temporary differences
are not provided for: the initial recognition of goodwill; the initial recognition of assets or liabilities that affect
neither accounting nor taxable profit other than in a business combination; and differences relating to
investments in subsidiaries to the extent that they will probably not reverse in the foreseeable future. The
amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected manner of realisation or settlement of the carrying
amount of assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the statement of financial
position date.
A deferred tax asset is recognised to the extent that it is probable that sufficient future taxable profits will be
available against which the asset can be utilised.
Segment reporting
Operating and reportable segments
The Group is managed as a single business unit that provides low-cost, low-fare passenger air transportation
services using a fleet of single aircraft type. The Group has only one reportable segment being its entire route
network. The online tour operator business of the Group, marketed under the name Wizz Tours, was
discontinued during the year, therefore it is no longer being presented as a separate business segment.
Management information is provided to the senior management team, which (in the context of IFRS 8
‘Operating segments’) is the Group’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM). Resource allocation decisions
are made by the CODM for the benefit of the route network as a whole, rather than for individual routes within
the network. The performance of the network is assessed primarily based on the operating profit or loss for
the period.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
107
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management
Financial risk factors
The Group is exposed to market risks relating to fluctuations in commodity prices, interest rates and currency
exchange rates. The objective of financial risk management at Wizz Air is to minimise the impact of commodity
price, interest rate and foreign exchange rate fluctuations on the Group's earnings, cash flows and equity. To
manage commodity and foreign exchange risks, Wizz Air uses various derivative financial instruments,
including foreign currency and commodity zero-cost collar contracts.
Risk management is carried out by the treasury department under policies approved by the Board of Directors.
The Board provides written principles for overall risk management, as well as written policies covering specific
areas, such as foreign exchange risk, fuel price risk, credit risk, use of derivative financial instruments,
adherence to hedge accounting, and hedge coverage levels. The Board has mandated the Audit Committee
of the Board to supervise the hedging activity of the Group and the compliance with the policies approved by
the Board.
Risk analysis
Market risks
Foreign currency risk
The Group is exposed to foreign currency risk on sales, purchases and commitments that are denominated in
a currency other than the Euro. The foreign currency exposure of the Group is significant for two reasons: (i)
only a small portion of the Group’s revenues are denominated in or linked to the US Dollar while a significant
portion of the Group’s expenses are US Dollar denominated, including fuel, aircraft leases, maintenance
reserves and aviation insurance; and (ii) there are various currencies in which the Group has significantly more
revenues than expenses, primarily the British Pound (GBP) and – to a smaller extent – the Polish Zloty (PLN).
The Group chooses the Euro/US Dollar foreign currency rate as the major underlying foreign currency pair in
its foreign currency rate hedging strategies. The main objective is to cover the Group’s ongoing US Dollar cash
flow requirements. The Group’s maximum hedge coverage level is 85%. of the total anticipated US Dollar
purchases hedged by the time the respective quarter on a monthly rolling forward basis is reached. This level
was not always reached during the current or prior years.
Looking forward, a new type of foreign currency exposure is created for the Group by the adoption of IFRS 16
(See also Note 3). The lease liability recognised under IFRS 16 is a monetary liability and most of the future
lease payments of the Group behind this liability are denominated in US Dollar. The periodic revaluation of this
liability against the Euro, if not managed, could result in very significant foreign exchange gains and losses,
and hence in significant volatility to earnings. The Group, starting from 1 April 2019 is mitigating these
exposures through the implementation of the following risk measures: (i) conversion of Euro bank deposits
into US Dollar deposits, thus creating a US Dollar monetary asset offsetting part of the lease liability; and (ii)
the entry into Euro/US Dollar FX forwards to cover the residual risk. The amount of such new deposits was
US$1,235 million and the notional amount of the FX instruments was US$676 million at the beginning of April
2019, altogether creating the required coverage of US$ 1,911 million. The balance of the forward contracts will
be actively managed in the future on a roll-forward basis to cover the estimated future net US Dollar liability.
The Hedging Policy defines also the hedging of the GBP/Euro foreign currency rate net exposure in order to
mitigate FX risk on the Group’s second largest revenue currency. The Group’s maximum target coverage on
this currency pair is 60% on a rolling twelve-month basis, and at year-end had coverage only for the April-
June 2019 quarter.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
108
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Risk analysis continued
Market risks continued
Foreign currency risk continued
The table below analyses the financial instruments by the currencies of future receipts and payments as
follows:
At 31 March 2019
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets
Cash
Restricted cash
Total financial assets
Financial liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liabilities
Total financial liabilities
At 31 March 2018
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets
Cash
Restricted cash
Total financial assets
Financial liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liabilities
Total financial liabilities
EUR
€ million
USD
€ million
Other
€ million
Total
€ million
74.1
-
1,228.0
188.8
1,487.9
2.2
26.8
43.4
-
72.4
116.8
31.5
40.0
-
188.3
-
-
15.5
18.8
34.3
37.9
-
48.0
0.1
86.0
-
-
20.2
-
20.2
EUR
€ million
USD
€ million
Other
€ million
59.3
-
889.4
161.3
1,110.0
5.3
26.9
32.7
-
64.9
95.1
34.2
62.7
0.7
192.7
-
-
13.4
13.7
27.1
21.5
-
27.5
0.2
49.2
-
-
14.0
-
14.0
225.8
31.5
1,316.0
188.9
1,762.2
2.2
26.8
79.1
18.8
126.9
Total
€ million
176.0
34.2
979.6
162.2
1,352.0
5.3
26.9
60.1
13.7
106.0
As explained earlier in this Note, most of the Group’s non US Dollar cash deposits were converted into US
Dollar deposits by early April 2019. €1,102 million was converted into US$1,235 million. Thus, going forward, the
distribution of the financial assets of the Group by currency looks substantially different from how it is shown
in the table above.
Trade and other receivables in this table, and also in the other disclosures in this Note 3, exclude balances that
are not financial instruments, being prepayments, deferred expenses, accrued income, and part of other
receivables (see Note 19). Similarly, trade and other payables in this table, and also in the other disclosures in
this Note 3, exclude balances that are not financial instruments, being accruals and other payables (see Note
25). These exclusions were not made in the 2018 annual report and therefore the 2018 balances in Note 3 were
now re-stated, where applicable.
Interest rate risk
The Group has future commitments under certain operating lease contracts that are based on floating interest
rates. The floating nature of the interest charges on the operating leases exposes the Group to interest rate
risk. Interest rates charged on convertible debt liabilities and on short and long-term loans to finance the
deposits of aircraft are not sensitive to interest rate movements as they are fixed until maturity. See Notes 23
and 24.
The Group is also exposed to interest rate risk in relation to the valuation of financial instruments as they are
carried at fair value.
The Group has not used financial derivatives to hedge its interest rate risk during the year. The Directors may
in the future consider hedging interest rate risk to reduce earnings volatility arising from fluctuations in interest
rates.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
109
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Risk analysis continued
Market risks continued
Commodity risks
One of the most significant costs for the Group is jet fuel. The price of jet fuel can be volatile and can directly
impact the Group’s financial performance. The Group’s maximum hedge coverage is 70% on a rolling twelve-
month basis and 60% on a rolling 18-month basis. The average hedge coverage in F19 was 58% and 45%,
respectively.
Hedge transactions during the periods
The Group uses non-derivatives, zero-cost collar instruments and outright forward contracts to hedge its
foreign exchange exposures, and uses zero-cost collar instruments to hedge its jet fuel exposures. The time
horizon of the hedging programme with derivatives is usually up to a maximum of 18 months; however, this
horizon can be exceeded at the Board’s discretion.
The volume of hedge transactions that expired during the periods was as follows:
a) Foreign exchange hedge (USD versus EUR):
US$762 million (2018: US$517 million).
b) Foreign exchange hedge (GBP versus EUR):
£44.8 million (2018: £48.0 million).
c) Fuel hedge:
821,000 metric tons (2018: 703,000 metric tons).
The gains and losses arising from the expired hedge transaction during the year were as follows:
a) Foreign exchange hedge (USD versus EUR):
€18.8 million gain (2018: €10.7 million loss). Out of this, €10.1 million gain related to fuel cost
(2018: €7.4 million loss) and €8.7 million gain related to lease rental cost (2018: €3.3 million loss).
b) Foreign exchange hedge (GBP versus EUR):
€0.2 million loss (2018: €1.9 million gain). GBP foreign exchange hedge affects revenue.
c) Fuel hedge:
€43.5 million gain (2018: €24.4 million gain).
Hedge year-end open positions
At the end of the year and the prior year the Group had the following open hedge positions:
a) Foreign exchange hedge with derivatives:
The fair value of the open positions was a €18.0 million gain (2018: €12.8 million loss) recognised within
other comprehensive income, corresponding to assets of €19.7 million (2018: €0.8 million in 2018) and
liabilities of €1.7 million (2018: €13.7 million), respectively. The €18.0 million gain can be analysed further (i)
into €23.7 million intrinsic value gain and €5.7 million time value loss components, or (ii) as €19.0 million
gain incurred on zero-cost collar instruments and €1.0 million loss on outright forward contracts.
The notional amount of the open positions was US$463.0 million on EUR/USD zero-cost collar instruments
(2018: US$726.0 million), US$676.0 million on EUR/USD forward contracts (2018: nil) and £24.1 million on
GBP/EUR zero-cost collar instruments at the end of the current year (2018: nil).
The FX hedge positions at year-end can be analysed according to the maturity periods and price ranges
of the underlying hedge instruments as follows:
Euro/US Dollar foreign exchange hedge:
At 31 March 2019
Maturity profile of notional amount (million)
Weighted average ceiling
Weighted average floor
At 31 March 2018
Maturity profile of notional amount (million)
Weighted average ceiling
Weighted average floor
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
F20
12 months
$444
$1.24
$1.19
F19
12 months
$599
$1.23
$1.18
F21
6 months
$19
$1.21
$1.16
F20
6 months
$127
$1.29
$1.24
110
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Risk analysis continued
Market risks continued
Hedge year-end open positions continued
Euro/British Pound foreign exchange hedge:
At 31 March 2019
Maturity profile of notional amount (million)
Weighted average ceiling
Weighted average floor
F20
3 months
£24
£0.92
£0.88
F21
-
-
-
There were no open positions on GBP hedges at 31 March 2018.
b) Foreign exchange hedge with non-derivatives:
Non-derivatives are existing financial assets that hedge highly probable foreign currency cash flows in the
future and therefore act as a natural hedge. At the end of the year out of its non-derivative financial assets
position the Group had US$6.7 million designated for hedge accounting (2018: US$13.5 million). This
amount is part of trade and other receivables on the consolidated statement of financial position.
c) Fuel hedge:
The fair value of the open positions was a €5.3 million loss (2018: €33.3 million gain) recognised within
other comprehensive income corresponding to assets (€11.8 million in 2019 and €33.3 million in 2018) and
liabilities (€17.1 million in 2019 and nil in 2018), respectively. The €5.3 million loss can be analysed further
into €13.4 million intrinsic value loss and €8.1 million time value gain components.
The notional amount of the open positions was 712,000 metric tons (2018: 626,000 metric tons).
The fuel hedge positions at year-end can be analysed according to the maturity periods and price ranges
of the underlying hedge instruments as follows:
At 31 March 2019
Maturity profile (‘000 metric tons)
Blended capped rate
Blended floor rate
At 31 March 2018
Maturity profile (‘000 metric tons)
Blended capped rate
Blended floor rate
F20
12 months
624
$700
$639
F19
12 months
517
$593
$533
F21
6 months
88
$670
$613
F20
6 months
109
$636
$580
During the year, until 28 March 2019, the Group had only cash flow hedges. Additionally, on 29 March 2019
(being the last banking day of the financial year) the Group also entered into FX forward contracts in
preparation for the adoption of IFRS 16 on 1 April 2019. These forward contracts were not in hedge relationship
on 31 March 2019.
The amounts removed from equity during the year were all recycled to the statement of
comprehensive income.
During the year the Group realised €6.2 million loss in other comprehensive income in relation to change in
the fair value of cash flow hedge open positions. The change in 2018 was €10.0 million gain coming from
movements in intrinsic value, and additionally as of 1 April 2017 €6.1 million time value gain was reclassified
from retained earnings to the hedge reserve as a result of adoption of IFRS 9.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
111
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Risk analysis continued
Market risks continued
Hedge effectiveness
During the year covered by these financial statements, based on the evaluation of the Group, the hedging
transactions did not give rise to material ineffectiveness under IFRS 9. As explained below in the credit risk
section, in the opinion of the management none of the hedge counterparties had a material change in their
credit status that would have influenced the effectiveness of the hedging transactions.
Sensitivity analysis
The table below shows the sensitivity of the Group’s profits to various markets risks for the current and the
prior year, excluding any hedge impacts. The interest rate and FX rate sensitivities for 2018 have been restated.
Fuel price sensitivity
Fuel price $100 higher per metric ton
Fuel price $100 lower per metric ton
FX rate sensitivity (USD/EUR)
FX rate 0.05 higher (meaning EUR stronger)
FX rate 0.05 lower
FX rate sensitivity (GBP/EUR)
FX rate 0.03 higher (meaning EUR stronger)
FX rate 0.03 lower
FX rate sensitivity (PLN/EUR)
FX rate 0.15 higher (meaning EUR stronger)
FX rate 0.15 lower
Interest rate sensitivity (EUR)
Interest rate is higher by 100 bps
Interest rate is lower by 100 bps
2019
Difference in
profit after tax
(in € million)
2018
Difference in
profit after tax
(in € million)
-90.0
+90.0
+38.1
-41.6
-9.6
+10.3
-5.9
+6.3
+10.0
-10.0
-77.0
+77.0
+29.0
-31.5
-9.7
+10.4
-4.9
+5.3
+8.1
-8.1
The interest rate sensitivity calculation considers the effects of varying interest rates on the interest income
on bank deposits and on the expense from floating lease rentals.
The impact of these macro-economic variables on equity is the same as the impact on profit after tax, except
for the fuel price and for the USD/EUR FX rate variables where the equity impact would also include the
change in the fair value of the derivative financial instruments that are open at the year end. The fair value of
these instruments was provided by the hedge counterparties and management has not calculated the
theoretical value of these instruments for other scenarios.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
112
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Risk analysis continued
Liquidity risks
Prudent liquidity risk management implies maintaining sufficient cash and the availability of funding. The Group
has an adequate liquidity position. The Group invested excess cash primarily in EUR and USD denominated
short-term time deposits with high quality bank counterparties.
The table below analyses the Group’s financial assets and liabilities (receivable or payable either on cash base
or net-settled derivative financial assets and liabilities) into relevant maturity groupings based on the
remaining period at the statement of financial position date to the contractual maturity date.
The amounts disclosed in the table below are the contractual undiscounted cash flows except for derivatives
where fair values are presented. Therefore, for certain asset and liability categories the amounts presented in
this table can be different from the respective amounts presented in the statement of financial position.
At 31 March 2019
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets
Cash
Restricted cash
Total financial assets
Financial liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liabilities
Financial guarantees
Total financial liabilities
At 31 March 2018
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets
Cash
Restricted cash
Total financial assets
Financial liabilities
Borrowings
Convertible debt
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial liabilities
Financial guarantees
Total financial liabilities
Within three
months
€ million
Between three
months
and one year
€ million
Between one and
five years
€ million
More than five
years
€ million
176.3
10.9
1,316.0
21.0
1,524.2
0.1
-
79.1
3.3
1,057.0
1,139.5
34.3
17.6
-
2.2
54.1
0.2
2.1
-
14.0
-
16.3
10.0
3.0
-
117.7
130.7
1.2
30.9
-
1.5
-
33.6
5.20
-
-
48.0
53.2
1.9
-
-
-
-
1.9
Within three
months
€ million
Between three
months
and one year
€ million
Between one and
five years
€ million
More than five
years
€ million
101.4
15.0
979.6
0.1
1,096.1
0.3
-
60.1
2.0
1,004.3
1,066.7
29.9
16.7
-
2.6
49.2
0.8
2.1
-
10.8
-
13.7
42.1
2.5
-
105.2
149.8
4.0
33.0
-
0.9
-
37.9
2.6
-
-
54.3
56.9
2.2
-
-
-
-
2.2
Total
€ million
225.8
31.5
1,316.0
188.9
1,762.2
3.4
33.0
79.1
18.8
1,057.0
1,191.3
Total
€ million
176.0
34.2
979.6
162.2
1,352.0
7.3
35.1
60.1
13.7
1,004.3
1,120.5
The Group has obligations under financial guarantee contracts as detailed in Note 31.
The Company provided guarantees to third parties to guarantee the performance of its airline subsidiary in
relation to aircraft lease contracts on a regular basis, and from 2017 also in relation to a contract for the
provision of public services in Hungary. These possible obligations are disclosed in the table above, with the
shortest maturity under the financial guarantees line. Management does not expect that any payment under
these guarantee contracts will be required by the Company.
Other financial guarantee contracts relate to hedging, and convertible notes. The respective liabilities are
reflected under the appropriate line of the financial liabilities part of the table above. Since the liability itself is
already reflected in the table, it would not be appropriate to include also the financial guarantee provided by
another Group entity for the same obligation.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
113
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Risk analysis continued
Credit risk
The Group’s exposure to credit risk from individual customers is limited as the large majority of the payments
for flight tickets are collected before the service is provided.
However, the Group has significant banking, hedging, aircraft manufacturer and card acquiring relationships
that represent counterparty credit risk. The Group analysed the creditworthiness of the relevant business
partners in order to assess the likelihood of non-performance of liabilities due to the Group. The credit quality
of the Group’s financial assets is assessed by reference to external credit ratings (published by Standard &
Poor’s or similar institutions) of the counterparties as follows:
At 31 March 2019
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted cash
Total financial assets
At 31 March 2018
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Derivative financial assets
Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted cash
Total financial assets
A
€ million
8.2
20.7
1,313.3
188.7
1,530.9
A-
€ million
Other
€ million
Unrated
€ million
-
10.8
-
-
10.8
-
-
2.4
0.1
2.6
217.6
-
0.2
-
217.9
A
€ million
A-
€ million
Other
€ million
Unrated
€ million
3.3
20.2
926.5
162.2
1,112.0
-
4.3
-
-
4.3
2.5
9.7
51.7
-
63.9
170.2
-
1.3
-
171.5
Total
€ million
225.8
31.5
1,316.0
188.9
1,762.2
Total
€ million
176.0
34.2
979.6
162.2
1,352.0
The “Other” column in 2018 included €52.2 million balance (out of which €50.0 million was bank deposit) with
one of the banking partners of the Group, that had BBB rating.
From the unrated category within trade and other receivables the Group has €100.0 million (2018: €91.4
million) receivables from different aircraft lessors in respect of maintenance reserves and lease security
deposits paid (see also Note 19). However, given that the Group physically possesses the aircraft owned by
the lessors and that the Group has significant future lease payment obligations towards the same lessors (see
Note 32), management does not consider the credit risk on maintenance reserve receivables to be material.
Most of the remaining balance in this category in both years relate to ticket sales receivables from customers,
non-ticket revenue receivables from business partners, prepayments made to vendors and accrued revenues.
These balances are spread between a significant number of counterparties and the credit performance in these
channels has historically been good.
Based on the information above management does not consider the counterparty risk of either party being
material and therefore no fair value adjustment was applied to the respective cash or receivable balances.
Fair value estimation
The Group classifies its financial instruments based on the technique used for determining fair value into the
following categories:
Level 1: Fair value is determined based on quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets
or liabilities.
Level 2: Fair value is determined based on inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or
liability, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3: Fair value is determined based on inputs that are not based on observable market data (that is, on
unobservable inputs).
The following table presents the Group’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value at
31 March 2019.
Assets
Derivative financial instruments
Liabilities
Derivative financial instruments
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
Level 1
€ million
Level 2
€ million
Level 3
€ million
Total
€ million
-
-
-
-
31.5
31.5
18.8
18.8
-
-
-
-
31.5
31.5
18.8
18.8
114
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
3. Financial risk management continued
Fair value estimation continued
The Group measures its derivative financial instruments at fair value, calculated with a technique by the banks
involved in the hedging transactions that falls into the Level 2 category.
All the other financial assets and financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost.
Capital risk management
The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going
concern in order to provide returns for Shareholders, to provide benefits for other stakeholders and to maintain
an optimal capital structure to reduce the cost of capital.
The capital structure of the Group consists of financial liabilities, cash and cash equivalents and equity. Financial
liabilities primarily consist of finance leases and convertible debt as disclosed in Notes 23 and 24, respectively.
Equity comprises issued capital, reserves and retained earnings as disclosed in the statement of changes in
equity. The overall capital risk management strategy of the Group remains unchanged from prior years.
Management reviews the Group’s cost of capital on an ongoing basis as well as the risks associated with each
capital instrument and makes recommendations to the Board for approval.
4. Critical accounting estimates and judgments made in applying the Group’s accounting
policies
a) Maintenance policy
For aircraft held under operating lease agreements, provision is made for the minimum unavoidable costs of
specific future obligations created by the lease at the time when such obligation becomes certain. The amount
of the provision involves making estimates of the cost of the heavy maintenance work that is required to
discharge the obligation, including any end of lease costs.
The cost of heavy maintenance is capitalised and recognised as a tangible fixed asset (and classified as an
“aircraft maintenance asset”) at the earlier of: (a) the time the lease re-delivery condition is no longer met; or
(b) when maintenance, including enhancement, is carried out.
The calculation of the depreciation charge on such assets involves making estimates for the future utilisation
of the aircraft and in the case of engines also of the future operating conditions of the engine.
The policy adopted by the Company, as summarized above, is only one of the policies available under IFRS in
accounting for heavy maintenance for aircraft held under operating lease agreements. A principal alternative
policy involves recognising provisions for future maintenance obligations in accordance with hours flown or
similar measure, and not only when lease re-delivery conditions are not met. The directors believe the policy
adopted by the Company provides the most reliable and relevant information about the Company's
obligations to incur major maintenance expenditure on leased aircraft and at the same time it best reflects the
fact that an aircraft has lower maintenance requirements in the early years of its operation.
b) Hedge and derivative accounting
The fair value of derivatives (namely the open position of cash flow hedges) is estimated by the contracting
financial institutions as per their industry practice. As required, the fair values ascribed to those instruments
are verified also by management using high-level models. Further, the effectiveness of hedges is tested both
prospectively and retrospectively to determine the appropriate accounting treatment of hedge gains and
losses.
c) Net presentation of government taxes and other similar levies
The Group’s accounting policy stipulates that where charges levied by airports or government authorities on
a per passenger basis represent a government tax in fact or in substance, then such amounts are presented
on a net basis in the statement of comprehensive income (netted between the revenue and the airport,
handling and en-route charges lines).
Management reviews all passenger-based charges levied by airports and government authorities to ensure
that any amounts recovered from passengers in respect of these charges are appropriately classified within
the statement of comprehensive income. Given the variability of these charges and the number of airports and
jurisdictions within which the Group operates, the assessment of whether these items constitute taxes in nature
is an inherently complex area, requiring a level of judgment.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
115
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
4. Critical accounting estimates and judgments made in applying the Group’s accounting
policies continued
d) Cost and fair value of aircraft and spare engine assets
When the Group acquires new aircraft and spare engines, then it applies the following critical judgment in
determining the acquisition cost of these assets:
(cid:1) Engine contracts typically include the selection of an engine type to be installed on future new aircraft, a
commitment to purchase certain number of spare engines, and lump-sum (i.e. not per engine) concessions
from the manufacturer. Management recalculates the unit cost of engines by allocating lump-sum credits
over all engines ordered and by adjusting costs between installed and spare engines in a way that ensures
that identical physical assets have equal acquisition cost.
(cid:1) Aircraft acquisition costs are recalculated to reflect the impacts of (i) any adjustment on the cost of
installed engines (as above); and (ii) concessions received from the manufacturers of other aircraft
components under selection agreements. While the Group has not so far purchased aircraft (but leased
them all), the acquisition cost has relevance also for leased aircraft when calculating the amount of total
gain or loss on the respective sale and leaseback agreement (see next).
What regards gains and losses coming from sale and leaseback agreements for aircraft and spare engines, the
determination of the amounts to be deferred and to be recognised immediately, respectively, requires
estimating the fair value of these assets at the date of the transaction. In determining fair values the Group
relies on independent third party valuation reports prepared by specialist aircraft and engine valuation experts.
5. Discontinued operation
In October 2018 the Group decided to cease its online tour operator business line and thus the activity of Wizz
Tours Kft. effective from 31 December 2018. This business line was in the past presented as a separate
operating segment of the Group (see Note 6) and for the purposes of the current financial statements was
classified as discontinued operation under IFRS 5. The results of the discontinued operation are presented as
a single loss figure in the statement of comprehensive income. The 2018 statement of comprehensive income
was re-presented accordingly, which impacted revenues and certain expense lines. The other financial
statements include balances and cash flows for the full Group, including those of the discontinued operation.
The financial information relating to the discontinued operation is set below:
Revenue
Expenses
Loss before income tax
Income tax expense
Loss from discontinued operation
2019
€ million
7.6
(11.3)
(3.7)
-
(3.7)
2018
€ million
9.1
(10.3)
(1.3)
-
(1.3)
Other comprehensive income/(expense) – items that may be
subsequently reclassified to profit or loss:
Other comprehensive income/(expense) for the year, net of tax
from discontinued operation
Total comprehensive expense for the year from
discontinued operation
(1.3)
The 2019 expenses and the post-tax loss include €1.9 million loss recognised on the disposal of the assets of
the discontinued operation. No assets were sold. Earnings per share for the discontinued operation was
antidilutive and for this reason it is not being disclosed.
(3.7)
-
-
Net cash generated by operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash from financing activities
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents generated by the
discontinued operation
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
2019
€ million
(4.7)
(0.5)
5.0
(0.2)
0.8
0.6
2018
€ million
(0.4)
(0.3)
-
(0.7)
1.5
0.8
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
116
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
6. Segment information
Reportable segment information
The Chief Operating Decision Maker’ of the Group, as defined in IFRS 8 ‘Operating segments’ is the senior
management team of the Group.
The Group had two reportable segments: the airline and the tour operator business units, marketed under the
Wizz Air and Wizz Tours brand names, respectively. In October 2018 the Group decided to cease operating
Wizz Tours Kft. as of 31 December 2018. Following this closure (i) the Group has only one reportable segment
being its entire route network; (ii) all segment revenue is derived wholly from external customers and, as the
Group has a single reportable segment, inter-segment revenue is zero.
Wizz Air sells flight tickets and related services to external customers and, to a small extent (until 31 December
2018), to Wizz Tours. Wizz Tours sold travel packages to external customers, such packages including flight
tickets from the network of Wizz Air. The intra-group revenue of Wizz Air was €9.0 million in 2018 and €6.7
million in 2019 (until the closure of the tour operator business). The Group estimates that the revenues of Wizz
Air from the sale of flight tickets will not be negatively impacted by the closure of Wizz Tours as tickets in
broadly the same amount and value will be purchased in the future by its passengers either directly or through
other tour operators and agents. For more details on the discontinued operation, please refer to Note 5.
Reconciliation of reportable segment revenue and operating profit to consolidated profit after income tax:
Segment revenue
Segment operating expenses
Segment operating profit
Net financing income/(expense)
Income tax expense
Profit from continuing operation
2019
€ million
2,319.1
(2,019.4)
299.8
0.5
(4.9)
295.3
2018
€ million
1,939.0
(1,645.9)
293.0
(5.7)
(11.0)
276.4
Entity-wide disclosures
Products and services
Revenue from external customers can be analysed by groups of similar services as follows:
Airline passenger ticket revenue
Airline ancillary revenue
Total segment revenue
2019
€ million
1,366.1
953.0
2,319.1
2018
€ million
1,132.2
806.8
1,939.0
These categories are non-GAAP categories meaning that they are not necessarily distinct from a nature, timing
and risks point of view; however, management believes that these categories provide clarity over the revenue
profile of the Group to the readers of the financial statements and are in line with airline industry practice. The
categories as per the definition of IFRS 15 are disclosed in Note 7.
Airline ancillary revenues arise mainly from baggage charges, booking/payment handling fees, airport check-
in fees, fees for various convenience services (priority boarding, extended legroom, reserved seat), loyalty
programme membership fees, and from commission on the sale of on-board catering, accommodation, car
rental, travel insurance, bus transfers, premium calls and co-branded cards.
Geographic areas
Segment revenue can be analysed by geographic area as follows:
EU
Other (non-EU)
Total revenue from external customers
2019
€ million
2,014.7
304.4
2,319.1
2018
€ million
1,713.2
225.8
1,939.0
Revenue was allocated to geographic areas based on the location of the first departure airport on each
ticket booking.
The location of non-current assets is not tracked by the Group and is therefore not disclosed by geographic
area. This is because (i) by value most assets are associated either with aircraft not yet received (pre-delivery
payments) or with existing leased aircraft (maintenance assets) and spare engines, the location of which
changes regularly following aircraft capacity allocation decisions; and (ii) the value of the remaining asset
categories (land and buildings, fixtures and fittings) is not material within the total non-current assets.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
117
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
6. Segment information continued
Entity-wide disclosures continued
Major customers
The Group derives the vast majority of its revenues from its passengers and sells most of its tickets directly to
the passengers as final customers rather than through corporate intermediaries (tour operators, travel agents
or similar).
7. Revenue
The split of total revenue presented in the statement of comprehensive income, being passenger ticket
revenue and ancillary revenue, is a non-GAAP measure (or Alternative Performance Measure). The Group did
not change the disaggregation of revenue, as applied under IAS 18, to that defined under IFRS 15. The existing
presentation is considered relevant for the users of the financial statements because (i) it mirrors disclosures
presented outside of the financial statements and (ii) it is regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision
Maker for evaluating financial performance of the (now only one) operating segment.
Revenue from contracts with customers can be disaggregated as follows based on IFRS 15:
Revenue from contracts with passengers
Revenue from contracts with other partners
Total revenue from contracts with customers
2019
€’000
2,296.4
22.7
2,319.1
2018
€’000
1,925.5
13.5
1,939.0
These two categories represent revenues that are distinct from a nature, timing and risks point of view.
Revenue from contracts with other partners relate to commissions on the sale of on-board catering,
accommodation, car rental, travel insurance, bus transfers, premium calls and co-branded cards.
The contract assets reported in 2019 as part of trade and other receivables amounted to €2.2 million and the
contract liabilities (unearned revenues) reported as part of deferred income were €395.1 million. Of the €2,319.1
million revenue recognised in 2019, €304.4 million was included in the contract liability balance at the
beginning of the year (see unearned revenue in Note 26). For 2018 the same amount was €260.0 million.
8. Operating profit
Net other expenses
Net other expenses decreased from €54.2 million in 2018 to €30.9 million in 2019. This reduction was driven
by credit items in 2019 totalling €44.5m relating to various aircraft asset sale and leaseback transactions and
certain supplier contract negotiations. These items are not expected to recur to the same magnitude in the
2020 financial year.
Auditors’ remuneration
Fees payable to Company’s auditors for the audit of the consolidated
financial statements
Fees payable to the Company’s auditors and their associates for other services
Audit of financial statements of subsidiaries pursuant to legislation
Other services relating to taxation
Audit-related assurance and transaction services
All other services
Total remuneration of auditors
2019
€’000
2018
€’000
318
51
293
65
-
727
242
23
417
-
19
701
Inventories
Inventories totalling €7.9 million were recognised as an expense in the year (2018: €5.1 million).
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
118
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
9. Staff numbers and costs
The monthly average number of persons employed during the year, including Non-Executive Directors and
inactive employees but excluding subcontracted staff such as rented pilots, analysed by category, was as
follows:
Number of persons
Non-Executive Directors
Crew and pilots
Administration and other staff
Total staff number
The aggregate compensation of these persons was as follows:
Wages and salaries
Pension costs
Social security costs other than pension
Share-based payments
Subtotal
Subcontracted staff costs (rented pilots)
Total staff costs
10. Directors’ emoluments
Salaries and other short-term benefits
Social security costs
Share-based payments
Directors’ services and related expenses
Total Directors’ emoluments
Directors receiving emoluments
The number of Directors who in respect of their services received LTIP share
options under long-term incentive schemes during the year
11. Net financing income and expense
Interest income
Other
Financial income
Interest expenses:
Convertible debt
Finance lease
Other
Financial expenses
Foreign exchange gains/(losses):
Realised
Unrealised
Net foreign exchange loss
Net financing income/(expense)
2019
9
3,931
321
4,261
2019
€ million
152.7
6.6
14.1
3.0
176.4
22.2
198.6
2019
€ million
1.5
0.2
0.6
0.4
2.7
2019
12
1
2019
€ million
2.8
3.4
6.2
(2.0)
(0.3)
(1.8)
(4.1)
(3.9)
2.3
(1.6)
0.5
2018
9
3,113
265
3,387
2018
€ million
106.6
5.6
12.7
3.2
128.1
19.5
147.6
2018
€ million
1.6
0.2
1.1
0.2
3.1
2018
10
1
2018
€ million
2.8
-
2.8
(1.8)
(0.5)
(2.7)
(5.0)
0.2
(3.7)
(3.5)
(5.7)
Interest income and expense include interest on financial instruments and, under the ‘Other’ category the
effect of the initial discounting of long-term deposits and the later unwinding of such discounting.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
119
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
12. Income tax expense
Recognised in the statement of comprehensive income
Current tax on profits for the year
Adjustment for current tax of prior periods
Other income-based taxes for the year
Adjustment for income-based taxes of prior periods
Total current tax expense
Deferred tax – decrease in deferred tax liabilities
Deferred tax – increase in deferred tax assets
Total deferred tax (benefit)/expense
Total tax charge
2019
€ million
1.4
(2.9)
10.4
1.0
9.9
(4.9)
(0.1)
(5.0)
4.9
2018
€ million
3.9
-
6.4
-
10.3
0.7
-
0.7
11.0
The Company, that is Wizz Air Holdings Plc, has a tax rate of 7.8% (2018: 7.8%). The tax rate relates to
Switzerland, where the Company is tax resident. The income tax expense is fully attributable to continuing
operations. The adjustment for current tax of prior periods and the decrease in deferred tax liabilities are
caused by the reduction in the Swiss income tax rate applicable to Wizz Air Hungary Kft., and as such are one-
off in nature.
Reconciliation of effective tax rate
The tax charge for the year (including both current and deferred tax charges and credits) is different to the
Company’s standard rate of corporation tax of 7.8% (2018: 7.8%). The difference is explained below.
Profit before tax
Tax at the corporation tax rate of 7.8% (2018: 7.8%)
Adjustment for taxes of prior periods
Decrease in deferred tax liabilities due to reduced Swiss tax rate
Effect of different tax rate of subsidiaries versus the parent company
Other income based foreign tax
Total tax charge
Effective tax rate
2019
€ million
300.2
23.4
(1.9)
(5.3)
(22.7)
11.4
4.9
1.6%
2018
€ million
287.3
22.4
-
-
(17.8)
6.4
11.0
3.8%
The Company paid €0.2 million tax in the year (2018: €0.2 million). Substantially all the profits of the Group in
2019 and 2018 were made by the airline subsidiaries of the Group (being Wizz Air Hungary Kft, in 2018, and in
2019 also Wizz Air UK Limited), and substantially all the tax charges presented in this Note were incurred by
these two entities.
Other income based foreign tax represents the “innovation contribution” and the local business tax payable in
Hungary in 2019 and 2018 by the Hungarian subsidiaries of the Group, primarily Wizz Air Hungary Kft.
Hungarian local business tax and innovation contribution are levied on an adjusted profit basis.
Recognised in the statement of other comprehensive income
Deferred tax
Total tax charge
2019
€ million
(0.3)
(0.3)
2018
€ million
0.2
0.2
13. Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to equity holders of the Company by
the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue during each period.
Profit from the year from continuing operation, € million
Profit from the year, € million
Weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue
Basic earnings per share from continuing operation, €
Basic earnings per share, €
2019
295.3
291.6
72,753,686
4.06
4.01
2018
276.4
275.1
68,739,736
4.02
4.00
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
120
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
13. Earnings per share continued
Basic earnings per share continued
There were also 29,830,503 Convertible Shares in issue at 31 March 2019 (see Note 28). These shares are
non-participating, i.e. the profit attributable to them is nil. These shares are not included in the basic earnings
per share calculation above.
Diluted earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue
with the weighted average number of Ordinary Shares that could have been issued in the respective year
as a result of the conversion of the following convertible instruments of the Group:
(cid:1) Convertible Shares (see Note 28);
(cid:1) Convertible Notes (see Note 24); and
(cid:1)
employee share options (see Note 27) (vested share options are included in the calculation).
The profit for the year has been adjusted for the purposes of calculating diluted earnings per share in respect
of the interest charge relating to the debt which could have been converted into shares.
Profit for the year from continuing operation, € million
Profit for the year, € million
Interest expense on convertible debt (net of tax), € million
Profit used to determine diluted earnings per share from continuing
operation, € million
Profit used to determine diluted earnings per share, € million
Weighted average number of Ordinary Shares in issue
Adjustment for assumed conversion of convertible instruments
Weighted average number of Ordinary Shares for diluted earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operation, €
Diluted earnings per share, €
2019
295.3
291.6
2.0
297.3
2018
276.4
275.1
1.8
278.2
293.6
72,753,686
54,372,732
127,126,418
2.34
2.31
276.9
68,739,736
58,111,974
126,851,711
2.19
2.18
Interest expense on convertible debt was all related to the continuing operation. The dilution effect of each
class of convertible instrument from the total 54,372,732 dilutive shares in 2018 was the following: Convertible
Shares: 29,830,503 shares; convertible debt: 24,246,715 shares and employee share options: 295,514 shares.
14. Property, plant and equipment
Land and
buildings
€ million
Aircraft
maintenance
assets Aircraft parts
€ million
€ million
Fixtures and
fittings
€ million
Advances paid
for aircraft
€ million
Advances paid
for aircraft
maintenance
assets
€ million
Cost
At 1 April 2017
Additions
Disposals
Transfers
Foreign exchange
differences
At 31 March 2018
Additions
Disposals
Transfers
At 31 March 2019
Accumulated
depreciation
At 1 April 2017
Depreciation
charge for the year
Disposals
At 31 March 2018
Depreciation charge
for the year
Disposals
At 31 March 2019
Net book amount
At 31 March 2019
At 31 March 2018
9.6
-
(0.1)
-
-
9.5
15.8
(4.8)
-
20.5
256.0
88.2
(18.3)
25.5
-
351.4
44.5
(12.1)
30.9
414.3
2.0
95.9
0.8
(0.1)
2.7
1.0
(2.1)
1.6
19.0
6.8
77.2
(12.6)
160.5
75.3
(11.9)
223.7
190.6
190.9
69.5
17.8
(23.0)
-
(0.1)
64.2
31.6
(26.7)
5.0
74.1
14.9
8.3
(2.5)
20.7
10.3
(4.6)
26.3
47.8
43.5
6.2
6.7
(0.3)
-
-
12.6
0.8
(0.1)
(5.0)
8.3
3.8
0.6
(0.3)
4.1
0.8
(0.1)
4.8
3.5
8.5
206.3
219.8
(94.8)
-
-
331.3
102.7
(174.0)
-
259.9
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
74.7
58.8
(4.5)
(25.5)
-
103.5
76.2
(10.3)
(30.9)
138.6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
259.9
331.3
138.6
103.5
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
Total
€ million
622.3
391.3
(141.0)
-
(0.1)
872.5
271.5
(228.1)
-
915.7
116.6
86.9
(15.5)
188.0
87.4
(18.8)
256.4
659.3
684.5
121
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
14. Property, plant and equipment continued
Additions to aircraft parts were €31.6 million (2018: €17.8 million) primarily related to the delivery of spare
engines from the engine manufacturer.
Additions to aircraft maintenance assets (€44.5 million in 2019 and €88.2 million in 2018) were fixed assets
created primarily against provision, as the Group’s aircraft or their main components did not any longer meet
the relevant return conditions under lease contracts. The additions in 2019 were related primarily to future
required airframe checks and engine LLP (life limited part) replacements, while the additions in 2018 related
almost exclusively to future LLP replacements.
Additions to ‘advances paid to aircraft maintenance assets’ reflect primarily the advance payments made by
the Group to the engine maintenance service provider under fleet hour agreements (FHA).
Additions to ‘advances paid for aircraft’ represent pre-delivery payments (PDP) made in the period, while
disposals in the same category represent PDP refunds received from the manufacturer where the respective
aircraft or spare engine was leased (i.e. not purchased) by the Group. During 2018 the Group accumulated a
PDP balance with Airbus that was above the contractual obligation. During 2019 the balance was reduced and
there were no PDP payments made by the Group during the year – hence in the statement of cash flows there
is only cash inflow (€71.3 million ‘refund of advances paid for aircraft’) but there is no cash outflow. The
additions in this table for 2019 (€102.7 million) represent the new PDP obligations in the year, even though in
the cash flows these were fully netted with the refunds receivable.
Land and buildings include the following amounts where the Group is a lessee under a finance lease:
Cost from capitalised finance lease
Accumulated depreciation
Net book amount
15. Intangible assets
Cost
At 1 April 2017
Additions
At 31 March 2018
Additions
Disposals
At 31 March 2019
Accumulated amortisation
At 1 April 2017
Amortisation charge for the year
At 31 March 2018
Amortisation charge for the year
Disposals
At 31 March 2019
Net book amount
At 31 March 2019
At 31 March 2018
2019
€ million
2.6
(0.6)
2.0
2018
€ million
7.5
(2.5)
5.0
Software
€ million
Licences
€ million
Total
€ million
18.7
6.5
25.2
9.9
(1.9)
33.2
8.5
3.7
12.2
6.7
(1.8)
17.2
16.0
13.0
0.1
4.6
4.7
-
-
4.7
-
0.1
0.1
0.1
-
0.2
4.5
4.6
18.8
11.1
29.9
9.9
(1.9)
37.9
8.5
3.8
12.3
6.8
(1.8)
17.4
20.5
17.6
Of the €4.6 million additions during 2018 to licenses €4.5 million relates to landing slots at London Luton
airport, purchased from Monarch Airlines. As these landing slots have no expiry date and are expected to be
used in perpetuity, they are considered to have indefinite life and accordingly are not amortized. There was
no indication of a need for impairment.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
122
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
16. Tax assets and liabilities
Deferred tax liabilities recognised
At 1 April 2017
Charged/(credited) to:
Profit or loss
Other comprehensive income
At 31 March 2018
Charged/(credited) to:
Profit or loss
Other comprehensive income
At 31 March 2019
Less than one year
Greater than one year
Provisions for
other liabilities
and charges
€ million
2.2
Property, plant
and equipment
€ million
2.5
Advances paid for
aircraft maintenance
assets
€ million
1.2
Other
€ million
0.6
Total
€ million
6.5
(0.3)
-
1.9
(1.4)
-
0.5
-
0.5
0.5
-
3.0
(2.1)
-
0.9
-
0.9
0.4
-
1.6
(1.0)
-
0.6
-
0.6
0.1
0.2
0.9
(0.4)
(0.3)
0.2
0.2
-
0.7
0.2
7.4
(4.9)
(0.3)
2.2
0.2
2.0
Deferred tax assets recognised
The balance of deferred tax assets was €0.1 million (current) in 2019 (2018: nil), charged to profit or loss.
It belongs to Wizz Air UK Limited in connection mainly with provisions for employee pensions and
unused holidays.
Unrecognised deferred tax assets
Until 31 March 2010 Wizz Air Hungary Kft. was Hungarian tax resident and up to this date had accumulated a
€30.0 million tax loss in Hungary. This balance remained unchanged at 31 March 2019. This loss can be utilised
only to offset profits generated under Hungarian tax residency latest in tax year 2025. The Group does not
expect to have profit of this magnitude being generated under Hungarian tax residency in the foreseeable
future and therefore no deferred tax asset is recognised in relation to these tax losses.
17. Subsidiaries
The Group has the following subsidiaries:
Country of
incorporation
Principal activity
Class of
shares held
Percentage
held
Financial
year end
Subsidiary undertakings
Wizz Air Hungary Kft.
Cabin Crew Professionals Sp. z o.o.
Wizz Air Bosnia
Hungary
Poland
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Wizz Air Netherland Holding B.V. Netherlands
Ukraine
Dnieper Aviation LLC
Ukraine
Wizz Air Ukraine Airlines LLC
Hungary
Wizz Tours Kft.
Moldova
Wizz Aviation Professionals
Poland
WA Pilot Academy Sp. z.o.o.
Airline operator Ordinary
Dormant Ordinary
Crew company Ordinary
100
31 March
100 31 December
100 31 December
Dormant Ordinary
Dormant Ordinary
Dormant Ordinary
Dormant Ordinary
Crew company Ordinary
Ordinary
Special purpose
company
100
31 March
100 31 December
100 31 December
100
31 March
100 31 December
100 31 December
Wizz Air UK Limited
UK
Airline operator Ordinary
100
31 March
As of 31 March 2019 the company form of Wizz Air Hungary was changed from ‘Kft.’ to ‘Zrt.’, a corporate form
under Hungarian law that can be described as ‘private company limited by shares’. The change of corporate
form did not impact the rights and obligations of the entity.
Wizz Tours Kft, was an online tour operator business that stopped trading operations during the year (see
Note 5 Discontinued operations).
Wizz Air UK Limited is an airline licensed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, that started its trading operations
during the 2019 financial year.
Certain subsidiaries have a financial year end different from the Group’s financial year end due to the
requirements of local legislation.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
123
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
18. Inventories
Aircraft consumables
Emissions trading scheme (‘EU ETS’) purchased allowances
Total inventories
2019
€ million
16.8
14.9
31.7
2018
€ million
13.6
8.0
21.6
During the year remnant stock with the book value of €0.1 million was written off to maintenance expenses
(2018: €0.1 million). There was no write back in either period of any write down of inventory made previously.
19. Trade and other receivables
Non-current
Receivables from lessors
Other receivables
Non-current trade and other receivables
Current
Trade receivables
Receivables from lessors
Other receivables
Total current other receivables
Less: provision for impairment of other receivables
Other current receivables net
Prepayments, deferred expenses and accrued income
Current trade and other receivables
Total trade and other receivables
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
13.7
3.3
17.0
124.1
87.0
6.6
93.6
-
93.6
69.6
287.3
304.3
43.7
-
43.7
81.7
50.6
2.4
53.0
-
53.0
60.7
195.4
239.0
Receivables from lessors (both current and non-current) represent the deposits provided by Wizz Air to
lessors as security in relation to the lease contracts and in relation to the funding of future maintenance events.
Trade receivables included €64.8 million receivables from contracts with customers (2018: €46.1 million). The
increase in contract assets was driven by ticket sales receivables that increased by €17.7 million year on year.
This was due to general business growth and to higher than average growth in tour operator contract volume.
Impairment of trade and other receivables
Impaired receivables
– other receivables
Allowances on impaired receivables
– other receivables
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
2.6
-
2.8
-
The Group previously recorded €2.1 million receivables from Warsaw Modlin airport as compensation for
damages which was immediately impaired in full. However, the Group is legally claiming the full amount in
court. The compensation claimed by Wizz Air, plus interest, was awarded by the District Court of Warsaw in
June 2018. However, the airport appealed against the decision and the next hearing is to be scheduled.
20. Derivative financial instruments
Assets
Non-current derivatives
Cash flow hedges
Current derivatives
Cash flow hedges
Total derivative financial assets
Liabilities
Non-current derivatives
Cash flow hedges
Current derivatives
Cash flow hedges
Total derivative financial liabilities
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
3.0
28.5
31.5
(1.5)
(17.3)
(18.8)
2.5
31.7
34.2
(0.9)
(12.8)
(13.7)
Derivative financial instruments represent cash flow hedges (see Note 3). The full value of a hedging derivative
is classified as a current asset or liability if the remaining maturity of the hedged item is less than a year.
The cash flow hedges expiring in 2019 had no ineffective portion in 2019 and 2018.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
124
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
20. Derivative financial instruments continued
Starting from 1 April 2018 the Group adopted IFRS 9 and as a consequence the net position of assets and
liabilities matches the cash flow hedging reserve in the statement of financial position, the only reconciling
items being (i) deferred tax recognised in the hedging reserve and (ii) the impact of hedging with
non-derivatives (altogether €0.2 million debit in 2019).
The mark-to-market gains (derivative financial assets) were coming from gains on call options bought (as part
of zero-cost collar instruments) that were in the money at year end. In 2018 these gains related almost
exclusively to fuel options (as fuel prices increased significantly during the year) while in 2019 related both to
fuel and FX options.
The mark-to-market losses (derivative financial liabilities) were coming from losses on put options sold (as
part of zero-cost collar instruments) that were out of the money at year end. In 2018 these losses related
exclusively to FX options (as the USD weakened significantly against the EUR during the year), while in 2019
related almost exclusively to fuel options.
21. Deferred interest
Non-current
Deferred PDP interest
Deferred interest expense
Current
Deferred PDP interest
Total deferred interest
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
1.1
1.2
2.3
0.6
0.6
2.4
1.0
3.4
0.2
0.2
Deferred
non-current receivables.
interest expense represents the deferred
initial discount adjustments calculated
for
Deferred PDP interest is the deferred part of PDP interest expenses incurred on leased aircraft or spare
engines. Such interest relates to aircraft or spare engine PDP payments financed by third parties, and is initially
recognised under property, plant and equipment (advances paid for aircraft). When the leased aircraft or spare
engine is delivered, PDP interest is reclassified to deferred interest expense. It is then amortised on a
straight-line basis over the lease term of the respective asset and the amortisation charge is recognised in the
statement of comprehensive income as aircraft rental expense.
22. Restricted cash
Non-current financial assets
Current financial assets
Total restricted cash
2019
€ million
165.8
23.1
188.9
2018
€ million
159.4
2.8
162.2
Restricted cash comprises cash in bank, against which there are letters of credit issued or other restrictions in
place governing the use of that cash, resulting from agreements with aircraft lessors or other business partners.
Restricted cash is excluded from cash and cash equivalents in the cash flow statement
Restricted cash during the 2019 and 2018 financial years was held mainly on current account in Euros, earning
no interest.
23. Borrowings
Non-current liabilities
Finance lease liabilities
Total non-current borrowings
Current liabilities
Finance lease liabilities
Total current borrowings
Total borrowings
Finance lease liabilities relate to a maintenance hangar building leased by the Group.
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
2.1
2.1
0.1
0.1
2.2
4.7
4.7
0.6
0.6
5.3
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
125
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
23. Borrowings continued
Gross finance liabilities – minimum lease payments
No later than one year
Later than one year and no later than five years
Later than five years
Future contractual undiscounted cash flows
Future finance charges on finance lease liabilities
Present value of finance lease liabilities
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
0.3
1.2
1.9
3.4
(1.2)
2.2
1.0
4.0
2.3
7.3
(2.0)
5.3
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
Present value of finance liabilities
No later than one year
Later than one year and no later than five years
Later than five years
Present value of finance lease liabilities
The loan liability decreased significantly, since the aircraft flight simulator asset have been sold.
0.1
0.6
1.5
2.2
0.6
3.0
1.7
5.3
24. Convertible debt
Non-current financial liabilities
Current financial liabilities
Total convertible debt
2019
€ million
26.6
0.2
26.8
2018
€ million
26.6
0.3
26.9
Convertible debt is Convertible Notes held by Indigo Hungary LP and Indigo Maple Hill LP (“Indigo”).
Principal and any accrued interest on the Convertible Notes are convertible into Ordinary Shares in Wizz Air
Holdings Plc at conversion factors in the range of €1.0–1.5 for one share. Such Ordinary Shares issued as a
result of conversion in certain cases might be subject to restrictions on voting and dividend rights. Until the
Notes are converted, interest on the Notes is payable in cash with a coupon rate of interest of 8 % per annum,
twice a year in February and in August.
Convertible Notes are guaranteed by Wizz Air Hungary Kft. – see Note 31.
For more information about the Group’s exposure to interest rate risk, see Note 3.
25. Trade and other payables
Current liabilities
Trade payables
Other trade payables
Accrued expenses
Total trade and other payables
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
79.0
13.7
213.7
306.4
60.1
10.0
179.0
249.1
The Group’s liabilities for EU 261 passenger compensation were previously presented as accruals under trade
and other payables in the statement of financial position. However, management considered it to be more
appropriate to present this liability under provisions and applied this presentation in 2019.
Prior year comparatives as at 31 March 2018 have been re-presented by reclassifying €5.5 million from trade
and other payables to current provisions (€3.2 million as at 1 April 2017).
26. Deferred income
Non-current financial liabilities
Deferred income
Current financial liabilities
Unearned revenue
Other
Total deferred income
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
2019
€ million
2018
€ million
104.2
107.3
395.1
24.9
420.0
524.2
304.4
25.7
330.1
437.4
126
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
26. Deferred income continued
Non-current deferred income represents the value of benefit for the Group coming from concessions (cash
credits and free aircraft components) received from aircraft and certain component suppliers, that will be
recognised as a credit (an aircraft rentals expenses decreasing item) on a straight-line basis over the lease
term of the respective asset.
Current deferred income represents the value of tickets paid by passengers for which the flight service is yet
to be performed (‘unearned revenue’), the value of membership fees paid but not yet recognised and the
current part of the value of supplier credits received. The significant increase in unearned revenue was driven
by the year-on-year increase of offered seat capacity, higher selling load factor, higher selling unit revenues
and the Easter effect (as Easter in 2019 was after the year end).
The contract liabilities (unearned revenue) of €395.1 million existing at 31 March 2019 will all become revenue
during the 2020 financial year.
27. Employee benefits
Share-based payments
The share-based payment charge in the financial statements for the year relates to employee share options
issued (i) during 2005–2015 under the 2005 International Employee Share Option Plan (‘ESOP’) and (ii) during
2015–2018 under the 2014 Employee Long Term Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’) of the Group.
The options are classified as equity-settled share-based payments. The Company issues new shares for any
options exercised, irrespective of the method of exercise. The fair value of the awards and options is
recognised as staff cost over the estimated vesting period with a corresponding charge to equity.
The expenses (other than social security) recognised in relation to these instruments were the following:
ESOP options
LTIP options
Total share-based payments charge
Long-term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
Share options issued during the financial year
Terms and conditions:
Number of options
Exercise price
Vesting period
Termination
2019
€ million
-
3.0
3.0
2018
€ million
0.2
3.0
3.2
Restricted
Options
41,500
nil
3 years
10 years
Performance
Options
269,672
nil
3 years
10 years
There are no individual performance conditions set for the employees to exercise their options after the three-
year vesting period other than that the employee must be in employment with one of the Group entities until
and on the date of exercise of the options.
For the Performance Options the performance conditions are set as follows, with 50% weighting for each:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
total shareholder return (TSR) of the Group relative to the TSR of certain selected European airlines over
the three-year period following the award; and
absolute growth in fully diluted earnings per share of the Group, measured over the period from 1 April
2018 to 31 March 2021.
The percentage of Performance Options that will vest will be determined on a pro-rata basis (“payout rate”)
to the extent that the target levels for these performance conditions will be met by the Group.
The fair value of options granted was determined by using the Black-Scholes model, resulting in €33.10-35.75
per share, depending on the date of grant. The total cost of the grant was determined based on: (i) the fair
value of options; (ii) the number of options expected to be forfeited due to employee turnover; and (iii) the
estimated payout rate for Performance Options.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
127
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
27. Employee benefits continued
Share-based payments continued
Long-term Incentive Plan (LTIP) continued
Share options in issue
The number of LTIP share options in issue at year end is as follows:
Outstanding at the beginning of the year
Granted during the year
Exercised during the year
Forfeited during the year
Outstanding at the end of the year
Exercisable at the end of the year
Restricted
Options
84,792
41,500
(9,250)
(5,500)
111,542
15,500
Performance
Options
579,305
269,672
(26,249)
(12,000)
810,729
107,554
Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP)
Share options issued during the financial year
There were no share options issued either during the year or in the prior year. The last options under the ESOP
were issued in January 2015 and therefore by January 2018 all open options got vested.
There are no individual performance conditions set for the employees to exercise their vested options other
than that the employees must be in employment with one of the Group entities until and on the date of exercise
of the options.
Share options in issue
The number and weighted average exercise prices of share options are as follows:
Outstanding at the beginning of the year
Granted during the year
Exercised during the year
Forfeited during the year
Outstanding at the end of the year
Exercisable at the end of the year
2019
Weighted
average
exercise price
€
13.22
-
2.28
-
13.56
13.56
2019
Number
of options
187,500
-
(5,500)
-
182,000
182,000
2018
Weighted
average
exercise price
€
7.41
-
4.20
-
13.22
13.22
2018
Number
of options
528,700
-
(341,200)
-
187,500
187,500
The range of exercise prices on options outstanding at the year end was €€2.24–€13.68 (2018: €2.24–€13.68).
At the end of the financial year, the outstanding options had a weighted average outstanding contractual life
of five years and seven months (2018: six years and seven months).
Taxation
Under the terms of both programmes all taxes payable on share options are the liability of the recipients of
these benefits. However, in certain cases the Company or its subsidiaries have a legal obligation to pay the
employer social security on the income realised by the recipients. To the extent the additional social security
obligations can be estimated, the Group makes a provision for these already during the vesting period of the
instruments.
28. Capital and reserves
Share capital
Number of shares
In issue at beginning of the year
Issued during the year for cash
In issue at end of the year – fully paid
Ordinary Shares
Convertible Shares
2019
102,576,674
40,999
102,617,673
72,787,170
29,830,503
2018
102,235,474
341,200
102,576,674
72,746,171
29,830,503
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
128
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
28. Capital and reserves continued
Share capital continued
Value of shares
Authorised
Equity: 170,000,000 (2018: 170,000,000) Ordinary
Shares of £0.0001 each and 80,000,000 (2018:
80,000,000) non-voting, non-participating
Convertible Shares of £0.0001 each
Allotted, called up and fully paid
Equity: 102,617,673 (2018: 102,576,674) shares of
£0.0001 each
Ordinary Shares
Convertible Shares
2019
£
2019
€
2018
£
25,000
34,415
25,000
10,262
7,279
2,983
11,921
8,456
3,465
10,258
7,275
2,983
2018
€
34,415
13,758
9,757
4,001
During both 2019 and 2018 the increase in the total number of issued shares was due to the exercise of certain
employee share options.
Ordinary Shares
The holders of Ordinary Shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared and are entitled to one vote per
share at meetings of the Company.
Convertible Shares
In March 2015, linked to the listing of the Company’s shares on the London Stock Exchange, certain convertible
loans and notes (including accrued interest) were converted into non-voting non-participating Convertible
Shares of the Company. There were 29,830,503 Convertible Shares in issue at 31 March 2019, all fully paid
(2018: 29,830,503 shares). The Convertible Shares are held by Indigo and can be converted into Ordinary
Shares of the Company by Indigo on the condition of meeting certain criteria post-conversion regarding the
overall shareholding structure of the Company.
Capital reserves
Share premium
Share premium has two main components. €207.2 million was recognised as a result of the Group
reorganisation in October 2009. It represents the estimated fair value of the Group at the date of the
transaction. The remaining €171.9 million (as at 31 March 2019) was recognised as a result of new share issues
made since October 2009. These new share issues comprised the primary offering on the initial public offering
of the Company’s shares on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015, the conversion of some of the
convertible debt instruments into shares and the conversion of certain employee share options into shares.
Within this, during the 2018 financial year €1.0 million increase was recorded in the share premium, all related
to conversion of employee share options. The increase in 2019 from the same was €9.2k.
Reorganisation reserve
Reorganisation reserve of €193.0 million was recognised as a result of the Group reorganisation in
October 2009. It is equal to the difference between the fair value of the Group at the date of reorganisation
€209.0 million and the share capital of the Group at the same date (€16.0 million).
Equity part of convertible debt
The equity part of convertible debt in equity comprises the equity component of compound instruments
issued by the Company. The amount of the convertible debts classified as equity of €8.3 million
(2018: €8.3 million) is net of attributable transaction costs of €0.5 million.
Share-based payment charge
The share-based payment balance of €10.1 million credit (2018: €7.1 million) corresponds to the recognised
cumulative charge of share options and share awards provided to the employees and Directors under
long-term incentive schemes. This balance is recognised directly in retained earnings.
Cash flow hedging reserve
The hedging reserve comprises the effective portion of the cumulative unrealised net change in the fair value
of cash flow hedging instruments related to hedged transactions that have not yet occurred.
The gross amount of cumulative unrealised change in the fair value of cash flow hedging instruments was €12.6
million gain (2018: €19.0 million gain), while the deferred tax effect was €0.1 million loss (2018: €0.3 million
loss).
Retained earnings
There were no dividends paid in 2019 or 2018. Share based payments are credited to retained earnings.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
129
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
29. Provisions for other liabilities and charges
At 1 April 2017
Non-current provisions
Current provisions
Capitalised within property, plant and equipment
Charged to comprehensive income
Used during the year
At 31 March 2018
Non-current provisions
Current provisions
Capitalised within property, plant and equipment
Charged to comprehensive income
Used during the year
At 31 March 2019
Non-current provisions
Current provisions
Aircraft
maintenance
€ million
111.8
77.5
34.3
87.6
-
(48.7)
150.7
94.8
55.9
36.2
-
(48.6)
138.3
45.9
92.4
Other
€ million
5.1
-
5.1
-
3.8
(1.0)
7.9
-
7.9
-
4.5
(1.5)
10.9
-
10.9
Total
€ million
116.9
77.5
39.4
87.6
3.8
(49.7)
158.6
94.8
63.8
36.2
4.5
(50.1)
149.2
45.9
103.3
Non-current provisions relate to future aircraft maintenance obligations of the Group on leased aircraft and
spare engines, falling due beyond one year from the balance sheet date. Current aircraft maintenance
provisions relate to heavy maintenance obligations expected to be fulfilled in the coming financial year. The
amount of provision reflects management’s estimates of the cost of heavy maintenance work that will be
required in the future to discharge obligations under the Group’s operating lease agreements (see Note 4).
Maintenance provisions in relation to engines covered by FHA agreements are netted off with the FHA
prepayments made to the engine maintenance service provider in respect of the same group of engines.
The €38.9 million increase in maintenance provisions from 2017 to 2018 related primarily to new provisions
made for engine Life Limited Part (LLP) replacements planned after March 2018. The €12.4 million decrease in
maintenance provisions from 2018 to 2019 related primarily to LLP replacements as a high number of these
were performed during the 2019 financial year.
Other provisions relate to future liabilities under the Group’s customer loyalty programme, all within one year.
The Group’s liabilities for EU 261 passenger compensation were previously presented as accruals under trade
and other payables in the statement of financial position. However, management considered it to be more
appropriate to present this liability under provisions and applied this presentation in 2019.
Prior year comparatives as at 31 March 2018 have been re-presented by reclassifying €5.5 million from trade
and other payables to current provisions (€3.2 million as at 1 April 2017).
30. Financial instruments
Fair values
The fair values of the financial instruments of the Group together with their carrying amounts shown in the
statement of financial position are as follows:
Trade and other receivables due after more
than one year
Restricted cash
Derivative financial assets
Trade and other receivables due within one year
Cash and cash equivalents
Trade and other payables due within one year
Derivative financial liabilities
Convertible debt
Borrowings
Net balance of financial instruments (asset)
Carrying amount
2019
€ million
Fair value Carrying amount
2018
€ million
2019
€ million
Fair value
2018
€ million
17.0
188.9
31.5
287.3
1,316.0
(306.4)
(18.8)
(26.8)
(2.2)
1,486.5
17.0
188.9
31.5
287.3
1,316.0
(306.4)
(18.8)
(26.8)
(2.2)
1,486.5
43.7
162.2
34.2
195.4
979.6
(249.1)
(13.7)
(26.9)
(5.3)
1,120.1
43.7
162.2
34.2
195.4
979.6
(249.1)
(13.7)
(26.9)
(5.3)
1,120.1
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
130
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
30. Financial instruments continued
Fair values continued
The fair value of financial instruments that are not traded in an active market (such as long-term deposits
among the non-current other receivables) is determined by estimated discounted cash flows.
The carrying value less impairment provision of trade receivables and payables are assumed to approximate
their fair values due to the short-term nature of trade receivables and payables. Long-term financial assets and
liabilities which are classified as fair value through profit and loss are recognised on fair value.
Trade and other receivables due after more than one year are almost exclusively maintenance reserves, with
an average term of approximately four years. The fair value of these assets is determined by discounting at a
rate of interest of four-years’ US Dollar swap rate prevailing on the last day of the financial year.
The fair value of derivative financial instruments is based on their actual mark-to-market evaluation of the
financial institutions.
During the year a €62.5 million gain (2018: €15.6 million gain) was realised on derivative financial assets and
liabilities in the income statement.
During the year a €nil gain (2018: €2,000 gain) was realised on financial assets available for sale.
Effective interest rates analysis
Interest-bearing financial liabilities
The following table indicates the effective interest rate of the interest-bearing liabilities of the Group on the
statement of financial position date and the periods in which they mature. Convertible Notes (see Note 24)
are denominated in EUR, while the other short-term loans are denominated in US Dollars.
Within
one
year
€
million
0.2
-
0.1
2019
One to
two
years
€
million
Two to
five
years
€
million
- 26.6
-
-
0.5
0.1
Above
five
€
million
Total
years Effective
€
interest
million
rate
- 7.4% 26.9
2.9
- 8.4%
2.4
1.5 7.4%
Within
one
year
€
million
0.3
0.5
0.1
2018
One to
two
years
€
million
Two to
five
years
€
million
- 26.6
0.5
1.9
0.1 0.5
Above
five
years
€
million
-
-
1.7
Effective
interest
rate
Total
€
million
7.4% 26.8
-
2.2
-%
7.4%
Convertible Notes
Finance lease liability 1
Finance lease liability 2
Interest earning financial assets
The Group invested excess cash primarily in EUR and USD denominated short-term time deposits on market
rate at major banking groups.
Changes in liabilities arising from financing activities
The following table includes changes in net borrowings reconciled with their effects on the Consolidated
statement of cash flows.
Net borrowings at the beginning of the year
Paid interest
Repayment of convertible debt and other borrowings
Change in net borrowings from cash flows
Accrued interest
Net borrowings at the end of the year
2019
€ million
32.2
(2.1)
(3.1)
(5.2)
1.9
29.0
2018
€ million
33.0
(1.7)
(0.6)
(2.3)
1.5
32.2
Interest paid in the Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows also contains €1.4 million (2018: €1.1 million)
additional interests not related to net borrowings; these are negative interests incurred on deposits held at
different banks.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
131
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
31. Financial guarantees
The Company has provided parent guarantees to certain lessors of its aircraft fleet, to guarantee the
performance of its airline subsidiaries under the respective lease contracts.
The Company has provided parent guarantee to the Hungarian Government, to guarantee the performance
of its airline subsidiary in relation to a public services contract for the scheduled transport of passengers
between Hungary and five West-Balkan countries.
The Company has provided parent guarantees to certain hedging counterparties, to guarantee the
performance of Wizz Air Hungary Kft., under the respective hedge contracts.
The Company in April 2018 provided parent guarantee to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, to guarantee the
performance of Wizz Air UK Limited in the context of the UK Operating License application process of Wizz
Air UK Limited.
The note purchase agreement (for Convertible Notes) contains a guarantee and indemnity, pursuant to which
Wizz Air Hungary Kft., inter alia, guarantees to Indigo Hungary LP and Indigo Maple Hill LP the punctual
performance by the Company of its obligations under the note purchase agreement.
32. Lease commitments
The total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating lease rentals are as follows:
Payments due:
Within one year
Between one and five years
More than five years
Total operating lease commitments
2019
€ million
413.8
1,390.6
745.7
2,550.1
2018
€ million
334.8
1,307.1
743.1
2,385.0
The majority (96%) of the commitments relate to aircraft operating lease and JOLCO (special Japanese lease)
contracts. The above table includes also the lease costs of those aircraft that are not yet delivered but for
which the lease contract was already signed before the statement of financial position date.
The lease payments are not subject to future escalation, but 14 of the aircraft lease contracts are on a floating
rate and thus the lease payments for these vary with the US Dollar market rates of interest.
33. Capital commitments
At 31 March 2019 the Group had the following capital commitments:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
a commitment to purchase 257 Airbus aircraft of the A320 family in the period 2019–2026. Of the 257
aircraft three relate to the “ceo” version of the A320 family (from purchase orders placed in June 2017)
while the remaining 254 relate to the “neo” version (108 from the purchase order placed in June 2015 and
146 from the purchase order placed in November 2017). The total commitment is valued at US$31.9 billion
(€28.4 billion) at list prices in 2018 US Dollar terms (as at 31 March 2018: US$34.1 billion (€27.7 billion),
valued at 2018 list prices). As at the date of approval of this document 11 of the 257 aircraft are covered
by sale and leaseback agreements; and
a commitment to purchase 14 IAE “neo” (GTF) spare aircraft engines in the period 2019–2024. For these
engines the Group in July 2016 entered into an engine selection agreement with Pratt & Whitney that,
among other matters, included a commitment for the Group to purchase 16 spare engines starting from
2019. The total commitment is valued at US$218.8 million (€195.2 million) at list prices in 2019 US Dollar
terms (as at March 2018: US$276.0 million (€224.2 million), valued at 2018 list prices). As at the date of
approval of this document the 14 engines are not yet financed.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
132
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
34. Contingent liabilities
Legal disputes
European Commission state aid investigations
Between 2011 and 2015, the European Commission has initiated state aid investigations with respect to certain
arrangements made between Wizz Air and the following airports, respectively: Timişoara, Cluj-Napoca,
Târgu Mureş, Beauvais and Girona. In the context of these investigations, Wizz Air has submitted its legal
observations and supporting economic analyses of the relevant arrangements to the European Commission,
which are currently under review. The European Commission has given notice that the state aid investigations
involving Wizz Air will be assessed on the basis of the new “EU Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines”
which were adopted by the European Commission on 20 February 2014. Where relevant, Wizz Air has made
further submissions to the European Commission in response to this notification. Ultimately, an adverse
decision by the European Commission could result in a repayment order for the recovery from Wizz Air of any
amount determined by the European Commission to constitute illegal state aid. None of these ongoing
investigations are expected to lead to exposure that is material to the Group.
Claims by Carpatair
Between 2011 and 2013, Carpatair, a regional airline based in Romania, has initiated a number of legal
proceedings in Romania alleging that Wiz Air has been receiving state aid from Timişoara airport.
Essentially, Carpatair has been seeking a decision on the question whether the scheme of charges applied by
Timişoara airport in the context of Wizz Air’s operations to/from Timişoara airport constitutes state aid. In
2012, the Romanian courts confirmed in a final decision that the scheme of charges applied by Timişoara
airport constitutes state aid, referencing an amount of approximately EUR 3 million. Following this decision,
Carpatair has been seeking a court order obliging Wizz Air to reimburse any such aid to Timişoara airport. A
decision on this matter has been suspended pending the outcome of a separate proceeding initiated by
Timişoara airport on a related question of law.
In parallel, Carpatair has initiated an action for damages against, amongst others, Wizz Air, alleging to have
suffered approximately €93 million in damages as a consequence of (i) state aid granted by Timişoara airport,
and (ii) an alleged abuse of dominant position on the part of Timişoara airport. On 12 July 2018, the court of
first instance found that (i) Carpatair lacks a legal interest for a part of its damages claim, and (ii) the term of
statutes of limitations has expired for the other part of Carpatair’s damages claim, which was consequently
dismissed in full. The decision is currently under appeal.
No provision has been made by the Group in relation to these issues because there is currently no reason to
believe that the Group will incur charges from these cases.
35. Subsequent events
There were no matters arising, between the statement of financial position date and the date on which these
financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors, requiring adjustment or disclosure in
accordance with IAS 10, Events after the reporting period.
36. Related parties
Identity of related parties
Related parties are:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
Indigo Hungary LP and Indigo Maple Hill LP (collectively referred to as “Indigo” here), because it appointed
two Directors to the Board of Directors (all in service at 31 March 2019);
key management personnel (Directors and Officers); and
Indigo, Directors and Officers altogether held 23.5% of the voting shares of the Company at 31 March 2019
(2018: 23.8%).
Transactions with related parties
There were no transactions with related parties during the fiscal year except as indicated below.
Wizz Air Holdings Plc Annual report and accounts 2019
133
ACCOUNTS AND OTHER INFORMATION
NOTES FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
CONTINUED
36. Related parties continued
Transactions with related parties continued
Transactions with Indigo
At 31 March 2019 Indigo held 15,000,000 Ordinary Shares (equal to 20.6% of the Company’s issued share
capital) and 29,830,503 Convertible Shares of the Company (2018: 15,000,000 Ordinary Shares and
29,830,503 Convertible Shares).
Indigo has interest in convertible debt instruments issued by the Company (see Note 24). The Company’s
liability to Indigo, including principal and accrued interest, was €26.8 million at 31 March 2019 (2018: €26.9
million).
During the year ended 31 March 2019 the Company entered into transactions with Indigo as follows:
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
the Company recognised interest expense on convertible debt instruments held by Indigo in the amount
of €2.0 million (2018: €2.0 million); and
fees of €0.3 million (2018: €0.1 million) were paid to Indigo in respect of the remuneration of two of the
Directors who were delegated by Indigo to the Board of Directors of the Company.
Transactions with key management personnel
Officers (members of executive management) and Directors of the Board are considered to be key
management personnel. The compensation of key management personnel, including Non-Executive Directors,
is as follows:
Salaries and other short-term employee benefits
Social security costs
Share-based payments
Amounts paid to third parties in respect of Directors’ service
Total key management compensation expense
2019
€ million
5.5
0.9
1.9
0.4
8.7
2018
€ million
5.1
1.1
2.3
0.2
8.7
There were no termination benefits paid to any key management personnel in the year or the prior year.
37. Ultimate controlling party
In the opinion of the Directors there is no individual controlling party in relation to the Company's issued
Ordinary Shares.
As at 30 April 2019 approximately 52.5% of the Ordinary Shares in the Company were owned by Qualifying
Nationals. Shareholders and potential investors are reminded that the Group’s Hungarian operating licence
depends, inter alia, on Qualifying Nationals owning more than 50 % of the Ordinary Shares. The Company’s
articles of association enable the Directors to take action to ensure that the amount of Ordinary Shares held
by Non-Qualifying Nationals does not reach a level that could jeopardise the Group’s entitlement to continue
to hold or enjoy the benefit of any operating licence that benefits the Group.
Qualifying Nationals include: (i) EEA nationals, (ii) nationals of Switzerland and (iii) in respect of any
undertaking, an undertaking that satisfies the conditions as to nationality of ownership and control of
undertakings granted an operating licence contained in Article 4(f) of the Air Services Regulation, as such
conditions may be amended, varied, supplemented or replaced from time to time, or as provided for in any
agreement between the EU and any third country (whether or not such undertaking is itself granted an
operating licence).
A Non-Qualifying National is any person who is not a Qualifying National in accordance with the
definition above.
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134