Wizz Air UK Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wizz Air Holdings Plc has been granted an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and Operating Licence (OL) by the UK’s CAA.

The move is in the opposite direction to UK-based easyJet, which announced it was setting up a subsidiary in Vienna in July 2017 so it could continue intra-EU flights post-Brexit.

Wizz Air UK, headquartered at London Luton airport, begins operations on May 3, with the first flight between Luton and Bucharest.

Jozsef Varadi, chief executive at Wizz Air, said: “Today marks the start of a new era in air travel in the United Kingdom, as we celebrate Wizz Air UK’s first flight following the approval of its UK operating licence.

“While Wizz Air UK is a key part of our Brexit contingency plan, it is also the first genuine ultra-low cost carrier licensed in the UK and the natural next-step in the development of our UK business, putting us in a strong position to take advantage of opportunities that may arise in what remains Europe’s largest travel market.

“Wizz Air has been committed to the UK ever since our very first flight landed at London Luton in 2004 and our continued expansion will mean additional investment and jobs in the UK as we build our current position as the 8th largest airline operating in the UK.”

The airline will have eight new Airbus A320 and Airbus A321 aircraft in service by the end of 2018, representing an investment of $860 million.

With the addition of Wizz Air UK, the group will have almost 9 million seats on sale on its low fare routes to and from the UK in 2018 – 14% growth year-on-year.