Investigation launched against Wizz Air because of fatigued pilots

Airline regulators have launched an investigation due to comments made by Wizz Air CEO József Váradi.

Controversial comments were leaked

The CEO of Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has made some controversial comments a few days ago: he called on staff to work despite their fatigue, after trying to take time off earlier.

According to Index, unions have expressed outrage after József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air, told workers that too many were taking time off for fatigue and that “sometimes it is necessary to go the extra mile”.

“The extra mile”

A security expert has warned that the current chaos, airport queues after the Coronavirus and last-minute cancellations are contributing to the exhaustion. József Váradi said the following in an in-company video message:

“We cannot run this business if every fifth person of a base reports sickness because the person is fatigued. We are all fatigued, but sometimes it is required to take the extra mile.”

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EASA and investigation

As we can read in Forbes’ article, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said on Friday that it was investigating Váradi’s comments, which were revealed in a leaked video, following concerns from pilots’ unions.

Wizz Air is under EASA’s continuous oversight, strictly complying with applicable legal requirements. EASA will now investigate the allegations and decide whether further supervisory action is necessary in the case.

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Serious safety risk

“EASA recognises that fatigue can be a serious safety risk that needs to be recognised and properly mitigated. We are currently investigating the allegations to determine if and what further ad hoc surveillance measures are required.”

Wizz Air is one of the airlines that have been forced to cancel flights amid an industry-wide recruitment crisis, exacerbated by airport queues that have increased delays and disruption.

A safety expert said that currently, the problem for all operational staff in aviation is that while working and rest time is measured in hours, the actual level of fatigue depends on the type of work. The stress and uncertainty caused by the current chaos is helping to make staff tired sooner. Therein lies the challenge, according to the expert.

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Source: Index, Forbes