Wizz Air

Pre-announced downtime for Wizz Air online booking system

Wizz Air will soon be carrying out maintenance work on its online interfaces, the airline said on Monday.

According to Wizz Air, the airline’s web interface and mobile app will be unavailable from 0:00 to 8:00 a.m. Hungarian time on 4 July.

Therefore, in order to ensure a smooth journey, the airline asks all passengers concerned to book flights and check-in online, and to bring their boarding passes with them to the airport, either photocopied or printed, before the planned and announced shutdown. Wizz Air would also like to point out that during the maintenance period, passengers will not be able to modify their existing reservations or make changes to them via customer service.

During the outage, if passengers are unable to check in online, they will be able to obtain their boarding passes free of charge at the check-in counters between 0:00 and 8:00 a.m. on 4 July.

As we wrote a week ago, Wizz Air launches a new flight to Africa from Budapest! Details HERE.

Wizz Air plane turns back to Budapest, passengers reach destination 6 hours late

wizz air budapest

Wizz Air’s flight to Târgu Mures returned to Budapest yesterday, 29 June, shortly after taking off from Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport. According to passenger reports, the engine may have failed. They reached their destination with a 6-hour delay.

Wizz Air plane turns back to Budapest, passengers arrive to Romania 6 hours late

The incident was reported on social media by passengers on board. The plane’s path can be traced on Flightradar, according to spabook.net. What exactly was the reason for the turnaround is not yet known for sure. However, it is not certain that compensation is due for a delay of almost 6 hours, napi.hu writes.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. Unfortunately, due to a very minor technical problem, we have to turn back to Budapest, as there is no mechanic at our destination, Târgu Mures, and we would be stuck there. The problem itself is not significant, but we have to return to Budapest, we will be landing in about 15 minutes and once we have landed I will inform you of the further developments. In the meantime, we apologise and thank you for your understanding,”

the captain told the passengers.

The engine may have failed

There were also 3 Hungarian DJs on board. They were on their way to Transylvania to perform. You can check their personal stories on their Instagram profiles before the 24 hours are up: @bredabiaa, @djstephanieofficial, @elektramusic_

Information on the engine was mentioned by several people. The mechanics apparently solved the problem quickly: the plane was able to complete the Budapest-Hurghada route that afternoon, although it took off for the Egyptian resort at 4:24 PM instead of the originally scheduled 2:45 PM.

Compensation is not certain

The passengers on their way to Târgu Mures were transported by a flight returning from Turkey, which finally took off at 1:17 PM Hungarian time and landed at 2:01 PM. As the flight was originally due to land at 8:10 PM, the delay was almost 6 hours, which could result in a compensation of EUR 250 per passenger for a journey of less than 1500 km.

However, in the case of technical failures, if the airline can prove that the failure could not have been avoided by regular maintenance and that the failure was unexpected (e.g. external influences), the claim cannot be validated, napi.hu explains.

Wizz Air receives Sustainability Award

Hungarian brands Wizz Air

Wizz Air won the title of Most Sustainable Low Cost Airline for the third time at the World Finance Sustainability Awards 2023.

The panel praised Wizz Air’s sustainability achievements and its commitment to reduce its carbon intensity by a further 25 percent by the end of the decade, the company told our portal.

World Finance also acknowledged the airline’s continued investment in the latest technologies, fleet renewal, fuel efficiency initiatives, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) collaborations, including the airline’s R&D investments, including partnerships between WIZZ and Airbus on hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Now in its fifth year, the World Finance Sustainability Awards recognise companies that put sustainability and green solutions at the heart of their operations. The award categories cover thirty industry segments.

Wizz Air has achieved its lowest ever carbon intensity of 53.8 grams of carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre in the 2023 financial year – a 6 percent reduction compared to pre-covid.

To achieve this, the airline has invested heavily in its fleet and continues to replace its fleet with new Airbus A321neo aircraft, which offer significant environmental benefits in terms of noise reduction and fuel savings, and can now fly with up to 50 percent SAF blends. The share of the new “neo” technology Airbus A320 family aircraft in Wizz Air’s fleet has now exceeded 50 percent, the statement recalls. (We wrote about the delivery of the new aircraft HERE.)

In April this year, Wizz Air announced its first equity investment in a biofuels company, Firefly Green Fuels, to support the development of SAF in the UK, and in May, as part of Indigo Partners, invested in US-based start-up Clean Joule SAF.

Wizz Air takes delivery of aircraft manufactured in China

WIZZ_first_chinese_Airbus_A321neo_aircraft

Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and most sustainable (1) airline, is the first European airline to take delivery of an Airbus A321neo aircraft manufactured in China. The new addition to the fleet, built in Tianjin, will be welcomed by Wizz Air four years after the first of its kind was taken delivery of.

The incoming aircraft will be the 92nd Airbus A321neo owned by WIZZ, bringing the proportion of “neo” technology models in the airline’s international fleet to more than 50 percent (2). Wizz Air also has the largest order for Airbus A321neo in Europe and plans to acquire a further 355 aircraft by the end of the decade under the “WIZZ500 ambition”.

wizz air airbus a321neo
Source: Wizz Air

The Airbus A321neo is the most efficient narrow-body aircraft currently on the market, with 239 seats in a single-class layout. Equipped with a Pratt and Whitney GTF engine, the model delivers the lowest fuel consumption per passenger, enabling Wizz Air to achieve the lowest carbon footprint of any major European airline (3) while reducing costs.

The aircraft type also offers significant environmental benefits: noise emissions are reduced by almost 50 percent, fuel consumption by 30 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent compared to the previous type (4). The transport flight from China to Europe will be operated in the coming days with a 10% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend.

The new Airbus A321neo aircraft will be financed through a lease agreement between Wizz Air and its financing partner AVIC.

“The Airbus A321neo is the most efficient single-aisle aircraft currently in service, which is why we chose it. As well as providing exceptional operational economics, it also provides us with a foundation to maintain our position as one of the world’s most sustainable airlines. This helps us to continue to reduce our carbon intensity per passenger as we grow. Today is an important milestone, as the Airbus A321neo will make up more than 50% of our fleet for the first time. It is fitting that we celebrate this occasion by becoming the first European customer to take delivery of an aircraft from Airbus’ final assembly line in Tianjin. I would like to thank the Airbus and AVIC teams for making this possible. We look forward to continuing to work with them as Wizz Air continues to grow towards becoming a 500-aircraft airline by the end of the decade,” said Váradi József, CEO of Wizz Air.

“It is a great pleasure to celebrate with Wizz Air the delivery of the Pratt and Whitney GTF-powered A321neo aircraft, which arrives straight from the Airbus final assembly line in Tianjin. We are truly delighted to contribute to the airline’s growth through our partnership,” said AVIC Leasing.

(1) Based on CAPA – Centre for Aviation Awards 2022

(2) The new aircraft will bring Wizz Air’s total fleet to 183 aircraft, of which 87 are A321neo aircraft.

(3) Based on the latest publicly published emissions data for a 12-month period (Ryanair, EasyJet). Due to differences between reporting periods, the figures and timeframe do not fully match.

(4) Based on a comparison of the Airbus A320neo and Airbus A320ceo families.

Wizz Air launches new flight to Africa from Budapest!

Wizz Air Hungarian airline

Wizz Air is launching a new flight three times a week to Cairo from 30 October in the wake of “lengthy negotiations” and diplomatic efforts, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Sunday.

Hitherto, Cairo International Airport had “basically excluded” low-cost airlines, he said in a Facebook post. Hungary’s government has kept the issue on the agenda at every meeting since 2022, until the Egyptian tourism ministry issued the necessary paperwork, he said. “A new destination has become available, and a new economic link has been created between two countries,” he said. We wrote HERE that Egypt is ordering Hungary-made trains.

A lot of negotiations are behind us but it was worth it. A new touristic destination is available, Hungary and Egypt creates a new economic tie, the foreign minister concluded. Here are the photos about the negotiations:

We wrote about two Wizz Air pilots’ tragic crash into the Baltic Sea in Sweden due to the bad weather in THIS article.

Wizz Air changes fleet

In 13 June, Wizz Air announced it would make its entire aircraft fleet at London Luton Airport (LLA) Airbus A321neo by 2025. Wizz Air has 11 aircraft stationed at its base in London Luton Airport with an average age of 3 years. The share of the new ‘neo’ technology in the airline’s fleet at LLA has already surpassed 50 percent and will reach 100 percent by 2025.

The Airbus A321neo has 239 seats in a single-class configuration. The aircraft incorporates the latest technologies in aviation. The new technology offers a nearly 50 percent reduction in noise footprint, a 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption and 50 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions compared to the previous generation aircraft. The Airbus A321neo can currently fly with up to 50 percent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blend.

Wizz Air pilots died in a horrific crash, here is their last conversation

Wizz Air pilots Sweden

A Hungarian small plane crashed in Sweden on 18 June with two Hungarian nationals on board. Now Hír TV published the last words of the pilots and the air traffic controllers. The two pilots who died in the accident were employees of the Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air.

Wizz Air pilots died in Sweden

As we wrote before, the Swedish police found the wreck and the bodies of the two Hungarians on board dead this Monday in 8-10 metres depth. The propeller-driven aircraft crashed into the sea 120 kilometres southwest of Stockholm. According to Swedish authorities, the Socata MS.893 Rallye Commodore 180 light propeller aircraft took off from Poland and was heading for Dala-Järna, northwest of the Swedish capital.

But they changed course for unknown reasons en route and headed for Skavsta International Airport, 100 kilometres southwest of Stockholm. The accident took place at 8 PM last Sunday. The Swedish authorities believe they modified their flight plan because of the bad weather conditions. Check out a video of the crash site HERE.

This was their aircraft:

Aircraft crashed in Sweden
Photo: PrtScr/Youtube

Later, it became clear that two employees of the Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air, lost their lives. Both were between 40 and 50. The two men were on a private journey. They travelled to Sweden to buy a new plane. Their bodies were found with the help of helicopters and Swedish divers in the sea this Monday.

Swedish authorities tried to help but could not

The pilots, Dániel and Gábor, were employees of Wizz Air. Both were trained professionals and leaders of the Műegyetemi Sportrepülő Egyesület, the sport plane association of the Hungarian University of Technology and Economics (Budapest BME).

Their last conversation with the air traffic control was recorded and published yesterday. They asked for a weather report from the Borlange Airport, their reserve.

Air traffic controller: “I got information from one of our colleagues that has a friend living at your destination [inaudible]. He said that the weather was not good at all, so he recommends you try to go somewhere else.” “Okay, thank you very much, sir”, one of the Hungarian pilots replied in a cheerful tone.

However, they could not land anywhere in that zone because of the bad weather or the closed airports. A couple of minutes before the crash, the air traffic controller asked whether they could make an instrument approach. But the Hungarians said they could not. After 8 PM, a last call from the air traffic control came saying he lost contact with the Hungarians probably because their altitude was too low. The sorrowful reality was that they crashed into the sea.

Wizz Air and other airlines face serious allegations of deceiving customers

ryanair wizz air

Airlines are accused of greenwashing by consumer organisations from 18 countries. They have jointly complained about what they say are misleading and false claims that people are being misled into believing that flying can be made greener. Among others, the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air and Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, also popular in Hungary, have been faced with the allegations.

BEUC (the European Consumer Organisation) and 22 member associations from 18 countries are lodging a complaint with the European Commission and the national network of consumer protection authorities (CPC) against misleading climate claims made by 17 European airlines, napi.hu reports.

Wizz Air also investigated

Wizz Air plane Ukraine
Photo: facebook.com/wizzair

The following 17 airlines have been investigated and are being called on to end the misleading practice: Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, TAP, Volotea, Vueling, Wizz Air.

They are calling for a Europe-wide investigation into the issue and for the airlines concerned, and the industry as a whole, to stop making claims that give consumers the impression that aviation is sustainable.

“This is simply not true, as aviation is not sustainable and will not be in the foreseeable future,”

BEUC said.

Even if you pay a ‘green fare’, aviation will not be sustainable

wizz air
Photo: Daily News Hungary

Where airlines have suggested to consumers to pay extra “green” charges based on such misleading claims, consumer protection authorities should require airlines to reimburse consumers.

“Whether you pay a ‘green fare’ or not, your flight will still emit climate-harmful gases. Technological solutions to decarbonise aviation won’t become a massive-scale reality any time soon, so depicting flying as a sustainable mode of transport is pure greenwashing. At a time when many want to travel more sustainably, airlines should urgently stop offering consumers a fake peace of mind,” cityam.com quotes Ursula Pachl, the BEUC’s deputy director general, as saying.

Flight between Cluj-Napoca and Budapest cancelled

As we reported earlier today, the Romanian airline AirConnect has cancelled its flight between Cluj-Napoca and the Hungarian capital. Read details HERE.

Attention: Wizz Air flight cancelled due to strike in Italy

Wizz Air plane

Flights cancellations and delays are expected at airports in Italy due to a strike by ground handling staff starting at 1 AM on Tuesday night and lasting until midnight on Tuesday. Wizz Air has cancelled its Tuesday evening flight between Milan-Malpensa and Budapest.

The 24-hour walkout was called by staff at airports and ground handling companies in Italy, as well as workers at Vueling SA and other industry suppliers, demanding the renewal of their contracts, according to MTI.

ENAC, which manages air traffic in Italy, has published on its website a list of flights protected by law in the event of a strike.

According to Budapest Airport’s flight information system, the only flight from the Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport to be cancelled was the one operated by Wizz Air to Milan-Malpensa Airport in the evening and returning at night, airportal.hu reports.

Budflyer, an aviation news outlet, also wrote on Facebook that according to the flight information page of Budapest Airport, the cancelled Italian flights as of 8:47 PM Monday are: Wizz Air Milan MXP W6235 / Ryanair Pisa FR5024.

Traffic starts at Transylvania’s brand new airport, Wizz Air operates flights – PHOTOS

brasov airport tarom

Traffic has started at the Brașov-Ghimbav International Airport. It is the first greenfield project in Romania and will also serve Szeklerland.

The first greenfield project

The first flight of the Romanian airline Tarom from Bucharest landed on Thursday morning at the airport of Ghimbav, airportal.hu reports. The airport is just quarter of an hour’s drive from Brașov in Transylvania.

On board the plane were several members of the outgoing Romanian government. Outgoing Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, President of the Senate, Sorin Grindeanu, the old-new Minister of Transport and Adrian Vestea, President of Brașov County Council, the candidate for the Ministry of Development, were present. Sándor Tamás, President of Covasna County Council and Árpád Antal, Mayor of Sfântu Gheorghe, also flew with the first plane, airportal.hu writes.

Support for the Brașov-Ghimbav International Airport

The leaders of the municipalities of Háromszék (literally “Three seats”) have supported the project from the beginning. Sándor Tamás said earlier that they had also obtained government support for the construction, as it was of paramount importance for them to get the airport up and running.

“A historic moment! From today, our region will take wings!” Árpád Antal wrote on his social media page after the landing in Brasov. The mayor of Sfântu Gheorghe said earlier that the Brașov-Ghimbav International Airport will bring the world closer to the people of Háromszék and will also bring them closer to the world, as it will speed up transport, which will contribute to the region’s competitiveness. He also drew attention to the fact that the airport has Hungarian signage in addition to information texts in Romanian, English and German.

“We are in the right place, we are home!” the politician said.

Wizz Air at the Brașov-Ghimbav International Airport

The Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration (ROMATSA) has so far approved a twelve-hour operation for the airport, from 7 AM to 7 PM. Romanian airline Dan Air has requested that the restriction be lifted as soon as possible.

The Hungarian-owned Wizz Air also operates flights from the airport to London and Dortmund, while the much-anticipated Budapest flight is still to come. However, charter flights to well-known foreign resorts will soon be available.

As we reported yesterday, Wizz Air is opening a new route this autumn to a wonderful tourist paradise – read more HERE.

Wizz Air strengthens with China

Wizz Air Istanbul Airport

The Hungarian airline Wizz Air uses aircraft assembled in Tianjin, China.

Bloomberg reports that Wizz Air will take delivery of Airbus A321neo aircraft manufactured at a plant in Tianjin, China. The Hungarian airline is the first European customer to take delivery of its aircraft.

According to aircraft tracking websites, the plane made its first flight on 9 June. The plant in Tianjin has so far assembled aircraft from parts shipped there, mainly for China and other Asian countries. Thus, this is the first aircraft to be returned to Europe. In addition to the Chinese production line (FAL Asia), some versions of the narrow-body type are produced in Hamburg (Germany), Toulouse (France) and Mobile (USA), airportal.hu reports.

The plant in Tianjin will play an important role in increasing the global production capacity of the Airbus A320 family to a total of 75 aircraft per month in the second half of the 2020s.

New Wizz Air route is coming in autumn

Wizz Air plane flight

In the autumn, Hungarian airline Wizz Air will launch a flight from Budapest to Cairo, Egypt.

From the end of October, Wizz Air will operate 3 flights per week to Cairo. The Hungarian airline will now operate flights to three Egyptian cities from Budapest. In addition to the Egyptian capital, flights are available to Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.

Tickets are available from 15 June, with opening prices starting from HUF 18,690 (EUR 50). Flights run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Hungary.

“We are delighted to announce our newest route, which is the third Wizz Air destination to Egypt from Hungary, bringing the total number of tickets offered from Hungary to the North African country to over 170,000 annually. The new flight is also proof of our commitment to offer our passengers the widest possible choice by continuously expanding our destinations. We are looking forward to welcoming our passengers flying to this exotic destination on board soon”, said Zsuzsa Trubek, Communications Manager at Wizz Air.

Important: Wizz Air is warning passengers about delays in the next 10 days

Hungarian brands Wizz Air

Wizz Air, one of Europe’s most popular budget airlines, is warning its passengers about possible delays and disruptions in the following ten days. 

According to Utazómajom, Wizz Air is sending out emails to passengers to inform them about delays caused by NATO’s Air Defender 23 military exercise. The largest deployment exercise of air forces in NATO’s history will take place in Europe’s airspace between the 12th and 23rd of June. Delays are to be expected both with inbound and outbound flights. The airline is updating travellers about possible delays via email and/or SMS.

NOTE: Of course, Wizz Air is not the only air company to be hit by delays. Other European airlines and flights will be also affected by the NATO military exercise.

Further warning

In addition to that, Wizz Air is also warning passengers that their call centre is busier than usual. Thus, it will take longer time for callers to get straight through. Passengers are asked to check information about their flights’ departure time prior to leaving for the airport. This way they can avoid extended waiting time.

Where to get information?

Bud.hu is providing all the necessary information about flights to/from Budapest. Therefore, visiting the website is the easiest way to acquire real-time flight information if your arrival or departure point is the Hungarian airport. In general, Google is a great alternative as well. Google searches usually provide up-to-date information. To look up your flight details, just type in the route and the airline or the flight number. An example of that is searching: “BUD-PMI W6” Budapest – Mallorca Wizz Air flight. Entering the flight number W6 2383 will give you the same results.

Recently, Wizz Air has been experiencing another kind of issue which we wrote about HERE. This technical difficulty made it harder for holidaymakers travelling with the low-cost Hungarian airline to get information about their flights. With that in mind, checking Bud.hu and Google for flight details is strongly advised.

How to calculate the possible delay?

Most Wizz Air flights that take off in Budapest tend to return to the Hungarian capital. For example, a plane might fly to Antalya from Budapest, and then returns to its initial departure point. If you’re waiting for your flight in Antalya, it’s recommended to check whether it has already departed from Budapest. If the flight departing from Budapest is late, chances are that the flight returning to Budapest will also be delayed. Inevitably, the knock-on effect of the accumulated delays will make planes even less reliable in the evening hours.

If you are travelling with Wizz Air, you might want to learn about the recent check-in changes that we have reported HERE.

Wizz Air system crash UPDATE: Problem solved, system back in full operation

wizz air plane

On 12 June, Monday afternoon, Wizz Air’s system crashed and was down until around 6 AM this morning. It was not possible to access the check-in option either, causing serious problems for passengers. You can read the updated information and a statement from Wizz Air at the bottom of the article.

Wizz Air’s online system did not even help identify the problem, Okosutas reported. The app simply said that it thought we did not have internet access. The webpage at least signalled that there’s an error by late at night.

Wizz Air not communicating anything over the website can be understandable, provided that the page is down, Okosutas wrote. However, they should have at least posted something about the problem on Facebook, as lots of passengers were in panic, fearing that they would not be able to check in for their late-night or today flight, the news portal adds. In such cases, you can check in for free at the airport, but you have to go out much earlier than planned. The free check-in is provided by Wizz Air at the airport for the rest of the day because of the long system failure.

On Facebook, some commenters copied a message from Wizz Air from the company’s Twitter. In these, they acknowledge that there is a malfunction, they are aware of it and are working on a solution. They also say that while the online check is down, the free airport service is available. However, in such a situation, it is not sufficient to communicate on Twitter only.

You can check out the comments under this post:

As we reported yesterday, the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air just changed its check-in system quite significantly. You can read more about it HERE. There is a chance that this change “had a hand” in breaking down the Wizz online system.

UPDATE

The glitch had been eliminated by Tuesday dawn. Read the statement from Wizz Air concerning the system crash below:

“The technical problem that occurred on the Wizz Air website and app last night has been resolved by dawn today, passengers can now check-in online for Wizz Air flights until three hours before departure and use all other self-service interfaces. Passengers who were unable to check-in online in the three hours before their flight due to a technical glitch earlier can do so at the airport free of charge today. However, passengers travelling with Wizz Air today are advised to check in online and, if possible, arrive at the airport earlier to avoid long queues. Wizz Air apologises to its passengers for any inconvenience caused.”

With immediate effect, Wizz Air has changed its check-in system

Wizz Air Hungary

Wizz Air informs its passengers that as of 12 June 2023, there will be a change in its check-in procedures. For all flights, the previous 48-hour check-in period will be changed to 24 hours, giving passengers one day to check in online up to three hours before take-off.

The airline has previously informed all passengers who purchased their tickets directly on Wizz Air’s platforms of the changes.

The change does not apply to passengers who have booked seats on Wizz Air platforms after purchasing their tickets. They will be able to check in for a period of 30 days until three hours before take-off.

As we wrote a few day ago, Wizz Air plane full of passengers landed in an unknown location, details HERE.

Also, we published yesterday an article where Wizz Air CEO launches new flight from Hungary, announces further expansions, details HERE.

Wizz Air launches new flight from Hungary, CEO announces further expansions

Wizz Air Hungarian airline

Wizz Air commercialises itself as the fastest-growing airline in Europe. However, they are less competitive in West Europe and do not plan to launch Transatlantic flights. But they do everything to expand towards the East, and, among others, that is what Wizz CEO József Váradi talked about recently. Furthermore, the company opened a new base in Hungary from where they will operate flights to some Hungarian summer paradises.

According to portfolio.hu, József Váradi, the CEO of the Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air, told the Arab business paper Asharq Business that they would like to expand in Jordan and Egypt and the Persian Gulf. The company will launch new flights to the region from its bases in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh because they signed an agreement to operate flights from Riyadh, Jedda, and Dammam to several European destinations.

Váradi highlighted that their expansion in the Persian Gulf is spectacular. For example, they have 40 flights in Abu Dhabi, and demand is growing for their service. That is why they would like to double their fleet and have 50 aircraft by 2030 in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, they would like to expand to 15 planes in Abu Dhabi by 2024.

Wizz Air flies from Debrecen

Meanwhile, Wizz Air began to operate flights from the international airport of Debrecen this weekend. Their first plane took off to Antalya. The new route follows its Budapest twin by one month. It will fly twice a week from the second biggest Hungarian city, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, index.hu wrote.

Tamás Király, the CEO of Debrecen airport’s operator, said he hopes their cooperation with the Hungarian low-cost airline will grow in the future and they will be able to launch additional flights. Antalya is a perfect choice for holidaymakers during the summer since the region is dry for months, so nothing bothers sunbathing on the seashore. Wizz Air opened its Debrecen base in 2015.

Here is a video of another flight from Debrecen to Larnaca, Cyprus:

Hungarian international airport dismantles runways, new flights to North Africa possible

International Airport runways North Africa flight

The owners of the second biggest Hungarian international airport hope that, thanks to the dismantling of some taxiways near the runways, the air gate will become safer. Meanwhile, direct flights may connect Hungary with a North African tourist paradise.

According to Budflyer, Zsolt Németh, the head of the Hungarian parliament’s foreign relations committee, was in Morocco negotiating a direct air connection between the African tourist paradise and Budapest. The last time such an option served Hungarian passengers was before 2018: Ryanair flew to Marrakesh, while Wizz Air flew to Agadir. Morocco is a white patch currently on Budapest Airport’s map, having great possibilities concerning tourism potential.

The summer season has started at the international airport of Debrecen, dehir.hu, one of the city’s news outlets, wrote. The air gate offers flights to the most popular destinations for Hungarian holidaymakers: Türkiye, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Tel-Aviv (Israel). Furthermore, they began to dismantle some runways currently not in use to make the airport safer.

CEO believes the airport will become safer

The southern taxiway of the international airport of Debrecen has not been used since the end of international air traffic in 2001. A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. In May, they started to dismantle the taxiway since its cover deteriorated significantly. According to the plans, the airport operator will eliminate 200,000 sqm of the old concrete road for HUF 50 million (EUR 135,700). All costs will be covered by the airport.

The CEO of the Debrecen international airport, Tamás Király, said there are too many paved roadways in a deteriorated state at the airport close to the runways. Removing these would create a safer environment, he believes.

The charter season began this weekend at the airport. From 10 June, planes commute between Debrecen and Antalya twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. But there will be other flights to Crete and other Greek destinations, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Israel. In 2023, they had 85 thousand passengers, a 20 percent rise compared to 2022. They expect 350 thousand passengers in 2023. Here is a photo taken before the take-off of the first flight yesterday:

Unbelievable: Wizz Air plane full of passengers landed in an unknown location

Hungarian brands Wizz Air

On 30 May, Wizz Air surprised passengers on one of its flights from Venice, Italy. They unexpectedly displayed the word “unknown” on the airport’s displays where the destination should have been, and refused to give any information about the length or direction of the flight.

Of course, passengers didn’t mind it one bit, as Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing airline, surprised the winners of #GetLostWithWIZZ with this special flight. The lucky winners of the competition, as well as influencers and travel bloggers, were given tickets for the special flight, but the destination was unknown to all.

“Even we didn’t know where we were going until the moment of departure,” said the Wizz Air pilot who was flying the 30 May flight from Venice to one of the most exciting and popular year-round destinations of our time, Saudi Arabia, to the great delight of passengers.

From Venice Marco Polo airport to Riyadh, Al Ahsa and Dammam, participants were treated to a unique and fabulous adventure, discovering centuries of fascinating history, a wealth of unmissable sights and the delights of local gastronomy.

Watch the video of the unique trip below:

Wizz Air performs well, but Ryanair performs even better

Runway Wizz Air

Wizz Air has turned from a loss to a profit this year, while Ryanair did so last year.

Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air’s net profit for the 2023-2024 financial year could fall between EUR 350-450 million. This is a huge improvement compared to last year’s loss of EUR 535 million for József Váradi’s company.

This expected gain could occur if there are no adverse changes. An example could be the negative effects of the war in Ukraine.

The expected improvement in net profit of around EUR 900-1000 million per year is explained by a recovery in tourism and a fall in fuel prices, portfolio.hu reports.

According to Wizz Air, consumer demand remains very strong. The number of summer bookings confirms this. Wizz Air is expecting 67 million passengers this financial year.

Mfor.hu notes that Irish low-cost airline Ryanair overcame the difficulties after the coronavirus virus last year and closed the financial year with a profit.