A Google advertisement for budget airline Wizz Air has been forcibly taken down by the ASA because of claims about their carbon footprint.
The ad spotted on June 9 ran with the tagline: “Fly Wizz Air – one of the greenest choices in air travel.”
The ASA said that the public would assume this statement meant that Wizz Air’s environmental footprint was significantly lower than other airlines. They said that because the ad had not made clear the basis of the claim, or provided verifying information, it breached their code.
The ASA said: “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.”
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(Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Wizz Air defended itself by arguing it had dedicated billions of euros towards cutting its carbon emissions and its investment in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) research.
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%.
They claim to have the “youngest and most carbon-efficient fleet in Europe” which means they have the lowest carbon emissions per passenger.
(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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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