Difficult autumn ahead for Wizz Air: many aircraft with engine problems, huge delays
The Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has broken a negative record this week. On Monday, one in two Wizz Air flights landed in Budapest with a delay of at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, only five out of 32 rival Ryanair flights landed with a delay in Budapest. Unfortunately, this will only get worse in the autumn.
After its negative record, the low-cost carrier is facing an even tougher autumn. As we reported, its September-October schedule will be disrupted due to engine overhauls. HERE is a list of (some of) the cancelled flights.
Negative record by Wizz Air: 50 hours of delay in 2 days
In two days, Wizz flights landing at Budapest Airport have accumulated 50 hours of delay, according to the official website of Budapest Airport. On Sunday, 13 out of 35 and on Monday, 16 out of 32 of the airline’s aircraft arriving at Liszt Ferenc International Airport were delayed by at least 30 minutes. A total of 26 hours of delays were recorded on Monday, Világgazdaság writes.
By comparison, 12 out of 33 flights of main rival Ryanair landed at least half an hour behind schedule on Sunday and five out of 32 on Monday. The Irish airline was “only” 31 hours late over two days. The two low-cost airlines account for almost half of all flights arriving at the airport.
Delays, cancellations due to engine checkup
In addition to the delays, the next two months will also be made more difficult for Wizz Air by cancellations. As we wrote, aircraft engines will have to be checked. The procedure could take up to 60 days, so it is likely that several aircraft will be out of the schedule. The low-cost airline has not yet been able to say exactly how many of its flights in the September-October period will be affected.
We didn’t even have to wait until the autumn cancellations for a dissatisfaction scandal to start about Wizz Air: Romania complained directly to the European Aviation Safety Agency about Wizz after it cancelled nine flights in one day for technical reasons. The Romanian consumer advocate general had already urged passengers to complain against the Hungarian airline in April, Világgazdaság adds.
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