Buzz (Ryanair)

This article is about the Polish subsidiary of Ryanair. For the former UK low-cost airline, see Buzz (airline founded in 1999).
Buzz
IATA ICAO Call sign
RR RYS MAGIC SUN
Founded1999
Commenced operations23 April 2018; 6 years ago (2018-04-23)
Operating bases
HubsWarsaw Chopin airport
Fleet size71 (2024)
Parent companyRyanair Group
HeadquartersWarsaw, Poland
Key peopleMichal Kaczmarzyk (CEO)[1]
Websitewww.buzzair.com

Buzz is a Polish airline headquartered in Warsaw.[2] Formerly called Ryanair Sun, [3] it is a subsidiary of the Irish airline company Ryanair Holdings and a sister airline to Ryanair DAC, Ryanair UK, Malta Air and Lauda Europe.

Formed in 2017 and initially positioned as a charter airline without any scheduled services, Buzz operates scheduled flights on behalf of Ryanair, and charter flights in its own right, out of Poland.[4] In March 2019, Ryanair announced that Ryanair Sun would be rebranded as Buzz in autumn 2019.[5] Buzz commenced operations in January 2020.

History

Initial operations as charter airline

On April 3, 2018, the carrier received an air operator's certificate granted by the Polish Civil Aviation Authority. It started operations on 23 April 2018 and the first flight took place on 26 April 2018, on the route from Poznań–Ławica Airport to Zakynthos International Airport. In Poznan and Wroclaw the carrier will use the infrastructure of already existing bases, while in Katowice and Warsaw new ones were created.[citation needed]

Representatives of the carrier announced that all five aircraft in the Ryanair Sun fleet would receive Polish registration numbers.[6] During summer 2018, Ryanair Sun operated one own Boeing 737-800 registered as SP-RSA. The aircraft was employed on charter flights from Warsaw Chopin Airport.[7]

Operations on behalf of Ryanair mainline

In September 2018 Ryanair announced the closure of its own Polish bases by 1 January 2019. Operations were to be transferred to Ryanair Sun, meaning Ryanair Sun would operate on behalf of its parent company. In late October 2018, the then-only Ryanair Sun aircraft SP-RSA ceased charter operations out of Warsaw Chopin. The aircraft subsequently replaced Ryanair mainline capacity out of Warsaw Modlin Airport, now operating scheduled services on behalf of its parent company.[8] Starting from November 2018, several former Ryanair-operated Boeing 737 were moved from the Irish to the Polish registry and now operated by Ryanair Sun on behalf of its parent companies scheduled flights out of Poland.[9]

Rebranding: Buzz

In March 2019, Ryanair announced that the airline would be rebranded "Buzz" in autumn 2019.[10] Buzz was formerly the name of a UK budget airline Ryanair bought from KLM in April 2003.[11] Buzz will still operate scheduled and charter flights from its bases in Poland, Czechia, and Bulgaria and aimed to expand its fleet from 17 Boeing 737-800s to 25 by summer 2019.[12]

Fleet

Buzz Boeing 737 MAX 200

As of April 2024, the Buzz fleet consists of the following aircraft:[13]

Buzz Fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
Boeing 737-700 1 — 148
Boeing 737-800 57 — 189
Boeing 737 MAX 200 13 — 197
Total 71 —

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ryanair | Executive Officers". investor.ryanair.com. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. ^ Plucinska, Joanna (18 October 2023). "Ryanair vs Wizz Air: The low-cost fight spreads to Poland". Reuters.
  3. ^ Whyte, Patrick (2019-11-13). "Wizz Air Thinks It Has a Simplicity Advantage Over Ryanair". Skift. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  4. ^ Mart Dwyer (4 April 2017). "Ryanair Announce New Charter Airline – Ryanair Sun".
  5. ^ "Ryanair Sun To Be Rebranded As Buzz In Autumn 2019 | Ryanair's Corporate Website". Retrieved 2019-04-26.
  6. ^ Startują nowe linie czarterowe - Ryanair Sun.
  7. ^ "FlightRadar24 data".
  8. ^ "Flight history for aircraft - SP-RSA". Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  9. ^ "Planespotte.net list of Ryanair Sun planes". 27 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Ryanair's Polish arm to rebrand as Buzz". Business Traveller. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  11. ^ Percival, Geoff (2019-03-14). "Ryanair rebrands in Poland as Buzz". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  12. ^ "Ryanair resurrects Buzz brand for Polish airline operation". Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  13. ^ "Buzz Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2024-04-19.

Media related to Ryanair Sun at Wikimedia Commons