‘One of the greenest choices in air travel’: Wizz Air ad banned for misleading consumers
An advert claiming Wizz Air is “one of the greenest choices in air travel” has been banned by the advertising watchdog for misleading consumers.
First seen in June, a paid-for Google ad for the budget carrier told consumers to “fly Wizz Air – one of the greenest choices in air travel.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled on Wednesday that the ad “must not appear again in the form investigated” because it had not made clear the basis of the claim.
Its verdict centres around the fact Wizz failed to provide enough information to consumers to make valid comparisons with rival airlines’ emissions.
In future, it must ensure the basis of any comparative environmental claims are made clear without giving a “misleading impression” of the environmental impact of its flights, the ASA said.
Standing by the ad, the Hungarian airline said it was pleased the regulator had acknowledged the advert was based on “credible emissions results, which are the lowest of any airline globally.”
A spokesperson argued Wizz has the “lowest carbon emissions per passenger kilometre of any other airline” and is “one of the few airline actively investing in the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF),” a biofuel seen as critical to the decarbonisation of aviation.
The low-cost airline has repeatedly made this claim in recent years, relying on its use of the lighter A321neo aircraft to reduce fuel consumption per flight.
“While it’s important to hold airlines accountable for their communications, equally this should be counterbalanced with the recognition of significant investments made to decarbonise the industry,” the spokesperson said.
Yet the ASA’s ruling will spark further concern over the dubious environmental claims made by some airlines, many of which are raking in huge profit following a post-Covid boom in passenger demand.
Virgin Atlantic received a scolding from the advertising regulator in August for misleading consumers over its landmark 100 per cent SAF-powered flight from London to New York in November last year.
SAF has been touted by airlines as key to hitting climate targets without cutting flights, however a colossal scale-up in global production is needed and the biofuel is still decades away from coming into widespread use.
Wizz Air carried a record 62m passengers in 2023 and booked more than £300m in profit, despite cancellations tied to the conflict in the Middle East.