An ad from Wizz Air has been scrapped for misleading customers with the claim that it was “one of the greenest choices in air travel”.
The Google advertisement, spotted on 9 June, proclaimed: “Fly Wizz Air – one of the greenest choices in air travel.” In its defence to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Wizz Air argued it had dedicated “billions of euros” towards the airline industry’s move to cut carbon emissions, citing its use of the “youngest and most carbon-efficient fleet in Europe” which allowed them to claim the lowest carbon emissions per passenger.
Additionally, Wizz Air cited its upgrading from Airbus A320ceo planes to Airbus A321neo models, claiming a fuel consumption decrease of 10% and a per-seat fuel efficiency boost of 20%. The carrier pointed out its investments in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) research and the creation of an exclusive Sustainability and Culture Committee, charged with the duty of ensuring any claims about sustainability were in line with legal requirements.
The ASA said the public would assume “one of the greenest choices in air travel” meant that Wizz Air’s environmental footprint was significantly lower than other airlines that operate in and out of the UK. They noted, “While we acknowledged that Wizz Air had based the claim on the type of aircraft they used, and the carbon emissions per passenger measured in CO2/RPK, that was not stated in the ad.”
“Furthermore, the ad had not included information that would allow consumers to understand the comparison. Because the ad had not made clear the basis of the claim, or provided verifying information, we concluded it had breached the Code.”
The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told Wizz Air to ensure the basis of future comparative environmental claims was made clear and did not give a misleading impression of their flights’ environmental impact, and that ads provided sufficient information to enable consumers to verify comparisons with identifiable competitors or signposted consumers to such information.”
A Wizz Air spokeswoman said: “We are pleased that the ASA acknowledged our claim was based on credible emissions intensity results, which are the lowest of any airline globally, backed up by third party data and benchmarked against other airlines. Wizz Air is committed to transparency and never exaggerates its environmental claims, ensuring they are always supported by strong, factual data.”
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