Wizz Air

What can passengers expect from Wizz Air and other airlines regarding the departure tax? – UPDATE

wizz air plane

For now, Wizz Air seems to be hesitating how to react, but passengers can expect pretty much the same with Ryanair. Let us have a look at what Wizz Air and other airlines will likely decide to do with the new departure tax. 

The Ryanair issue

Lately, Ryanair seems to be the talk of the media. The airline company first sharply criticised the new tax in its announcement and then informed passengers that it would pass it on to them.

In fact, it will charge the amount to passengers with a previously purchased ticket for flights departing from Budapest after 1 July.

Even a consumer protection investigation was launched against the airline company. According to the regulation, the airline tax called for contributions from the airlines to be paid by the ground handling companies. This means that the charge is shown to the airline as an item or expense re-invoiced by its local partner.

Ryanair’s actions were legal and fair

Clause 4.2.2 of the Ryanair General Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage, which is also referred to in their letter to the customers, states quite clearly: “the new tax (or the difference) must be paid before departure. But you can also choose not to travel and ask for a full refund of the booking cost.”

Ryanair not only acted exactly in accordance with its business rules but was also fair notifying passengers of the measure promptly.

ryanair plane
Read alsoHungarian consumer protection launches investigation against Ryanair!

What about Wizz Air?

Not surprisingly, Wizz Air hesitates to react, or else, the company wants to avoid an open conflict with the government. However, the company’s general conditions and terms settle this issue very clearly.

That being said, passengers who booked Wizz Air flights departing from Hungary after 1 July should look out for a notification, which can arrive any time. – reports airportal.hu.

According to the business rules: “By reserving these Business Rules, we reserve the right to expressly agree to the use of taxes and duties imposed and increased by governments, authorities or the airport operator between the date of issue of the Confirmation and the date of departure. Security Fees and Other Services Fees (if applicable to your trip) will be charged retrospectively.”

Other companies’ policies on the matter

KLM

4.2. Fees, taxes and charges: All fees, taxes or charges levied by governments, any other authority or the airport operator shall be payable by the passenger. These fees, taxes and charges may be levied or increased by a government, another authority or an airport operator after the ticket booking date. In this case, the passenger must pay the appropriate amount.

Air France

Article IV, 2. Other fees, taxes and charges: Such other fees, taxes, charges and costs may be set or increased after the Purchase of Tickets. In this case, the passenger is obliged to pay the appropriate amount.

Lufthansa

Taxes, fees and charges 4.3. All applicable taxes, fees and other charges imposed by the state or local government or by another authority, or by the operator of an airport with regard to the passenger, or for services provided to the passenger, shall be paid by you in addition to the airfare.

British Airways

4b3) Taxes, fees and charges change constantly and can be imposed or altered after the date we have issued your ticket. If they change or if a new tax, fee or charge is imposed after we have issued your ticket, you will have to pay us any increase.

Qatar Airways

Article 5/5: The taxes, fees and charges imposed on air travel are constantly changing and can be imposed after the date of ticket issuance. If there is an increase in tax, fee or charge shown on the ticket, you will be required to pay it. Similarly, if a new tax, fee or charge is imposed even after ticket issuance you will be required to pay it.

Easyjet

4.3. In the unlikely event that the state tax increases after you have made your booking, we may ask you to pay the extra to allow us to fly. If we ask you to pay the excess and you refuse to do so, you can cancel your booking and get your fare back.

budapest airport
Read alsoGovernment’s departure tax to result in more flight cancellations?!

UPDATE

Investigation launched against Wizz Air because of fatigued pilots

wizz air 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.”

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.

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.

ryanair plane
Read alsoHungarian consumer protection launches investigation against Ryanair!

Passengers outraged: Wizz Air charged their account without warning

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More and more passengers complain about Wizz Air’s latest decision. The Hungarian low-cost airline charged many of its passengers’ Wizz Air accounts without notifying the holders in advance. Therefore, a lot of Wizz account holders lost their credits changeable for flights or money.

No warning beforehand

Zsolt Varga wrote in an article on napi.hu that the account holders had received a short message before the charge: funds expired. However, in contrast to previous cases, the company did not send a warning about the expiration. Therefore, the passengers did not have a chance to spend their money.

Mr Varga asked the airline why its practice had changed and where passengers could turn for legal remedy and compensation. He received an official reply only weeks and multiple notices later.

Wizz Air said that the problem was very complex. Therefore, it needed a long time to review every detail.

Shorter expiration dates

The company decided at the beginning of 2022 that they would shorten the expiration date of some credits changeable for fights or money. Wizz Air states that they sent a warning about that decision to the account holders concerned. However, it might have happened that some email accounts filtered the notifications as spam. Unfortunately, technical issues occurred as well, and some credits vanished from their accounts. However, they have already corrected that mistake, the company highlighted. Complaints can be submitted on their official webpage under the Wizz Account.

Moreover, despite their best intentions, some credits did not receive notification about the shortened expiration date. They thanked such feedback and said that they started the relevant analysis. 

Wizz Air added that the maximum expiration date of their credits would be uniformly two years for greater transparency.

Wizz Air is optimistic

Világgazdaság reported that Wizz Air

expects 30 and 40 pc more passengers in Q1 and Q2 of the 2023 business year.

The company’s management is optimistic and shared data about their previous business year. They finished 2022 with 27.13 million passengers, which is remarkably good compared to the 10.19 million in 2021. However, their aircraft utilisation stood much lower than the pre-pandemic 90 pc: 78.1 pc.

Although their income increased by 125 pc and they could reduce losses from 183 million EUR to 19 million,

their profit is negative: -642.5 million EUR.

That is lower than they expected before. The reasons behind it are the skyrocketing salaries, the growing capacities and expansions and the fuel price increase. 

CEO József Váradi remained optimistic. They expanded their fleet from 137 to 153 aircraft and aim to maximize utilisation during the summer. Furthermore, their cash flow is significantly high, 1.38 billion EUR which ensures the company’s stability. Therefore, Wizz Air is in the “recommended for investment” category.

Budapest Airport departing passengers tax
Read alsoPainful: Here is the government’s extra tax on each plane ticket!

Hungarian Wizz Air to increase prices because of extra taxes?!

wizz air plane

Hungarian Wizz Air may raise its prices because of the government’s plans regarding the so-called windfall taxes. The extra tax will concern eight areas, and the administration would like to collect an annual 800 billion forints with its help.

Wizz Air to introduce higher ticket prices?

The chairman of the Hungarian low-cost airline told hvg.hu that the sector suffered significant losses during the coronavirus epidemic. Furthermore, its income and profit will not reach the pre-pandemic level for a long time. As a result,

nobody can talk about an “extra profit” in the case of airlines.

The fifth Orbán administration plans to introduce a surtax on all airlines operating in Hungary, with a €10-15 fee per passenger. However,

that would mean higher ticket prices

in a sector struggling with a deficit for two years. “Challenging that fact goes against the most basic economic analyses,” Robert Carey, the chairman of Wizz Air, told the Hungarian media outlet.

HVG asked the Hungarian airline after the announcement of the new windfall taxes on Thursday. In the case of the air travel sector, the direct contributors would be companies doing ground handling. Of course, they could pass that on to the airlines concerned. However, it seems, in the end, passengers will pay the extra tax.

Government’s extra tax concerns these eight sectors

In Hungary, Wizz Air handles the largest air traffic. Therefore, the new tax will concern them the most. The company’s chairman said that every extra burden the sector needs to cope with hinders its recovery. The problems of Wizz Air affect the Hungarian economy, he added.

Wizz Air reported a loss of EUR 721 million between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. A year before, its profit was EUR 286 million. In the last financial quarter, the company’s loss was EUR 267.5 million.

As we reported before, the government aims to raise an annual 300 billion forints from the banking sector, including 50 billion by expanding transactions duties, Márton Nagy, the minister for economic development, said on Thursday. A total of 50 billion forints will be collected from insurers and 300 billion from energy sector companies, with a large chunk to be collected from Hungarian oil and gas company MOL, the minister said. The government will collect 60 billion forints from retailers, 40 billion from telcos,

30 billion from airlines,

and 20 billion forints from pharmaceutical companies, not including small pharmacies, he added.

 

wizz air plane
Read alsoHungarian Wizz Air to increase prices because of extra taxes?!

Hungarian Government is making Wizz Air pay extra taxes!

Wizz Air plane

On 26 May 2022, the Hungarian government published important information on taxation. Airlines that have not been paying extra in the past are now on the government’s list of extra levies. This is a surprise as the sector is only just beginning to recover from the shock of the coronavirus outbreak. Read below for more details.

Economist Márton Nagy detailed his thoughts at the government briefing: “All airlines operating in Hungary will now have to pay surtax, with a €10 fee per passenger.”

Portfólió reports that Márton Nagy justified the airline tax by saying that passenger traffic at Budapest airport is increasing fast. The summer travel season will likely be strong, as people want to go abroad after two years of restrictions.

The losses of Wizz Air

Wizz Air is the largest of the Hungarian airlines in terms of market share, so the special tax announced today, meaning a total of 30 billion forints per year, is likely to hit the company founded by József Váradi the hardest. In the most recent financial year, Wizz Air had a 31.5 per cent share of the Hungarian market. This is followed by Ryanair, which was the second-largest with a 20.8 per cent share. Lufthansa was third with 7.3 per cent.

Wizz Air is a big player across Europe, and the Hungarian operation plays a key role. The airline’s Hungarian subsidiary, Wizz Air Hungary, had a €286 million profit in 2019. After taxation, Wizz Air lost €721 in the epidemic-hit year of 2020. The whole airline sector was in the red that year, not just Wizz Air.

There is no extra profit for the Hungarian-based airline. In its latest annual report for the financial year ending in March 2021, Wizz Air Holdings reported a loss of €482 million. Recovery has begun in the industry, traffic is starting to pick up, and the summer is looking promising based on bookings. Analyst consensus is that Wizz Air could have had an even bigger loss of €644 million for the financial year ending in March 2022. The consensus from Refinitiv suggests that even the current year could be loss-making, with a minus of €119 million.

It is highly likely that the Hungarian government is taxing a loss-making company.

Additional insights

The picture is made more complicated by another fact. The just now recovering sector is being hit hard by the rise in kerosene prices. Prices weigh heavily on airlines’ operating costs. Hedging is only a temporary solution, not a protection against the trend of price rises. All this combined has a major negative impact on the industry’s profit outlook.

Index reports that this is not the first time the Hungarian government uses taxation this way. Based on experience, they may be bolder in their exploitation on a sectoral level. A big question regarding Wizz Air is how they expect to pass on the extra tax to customers. All this might affect ticket prices, but that will depend on market competition.

180 Wizz Air passengers stranded in Rome

wizz air plane

Around 180 passengers were stranded at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome whose plane was due to take off at 10.20 pm on Tuesday. At first, the passengers received notifications about the possible delay but then the departure time was pushed further and further back. However, no updated notifications were sent to the passengers. 

Stuck passangers

One of the passengers shared the following lines with Blikk regarding his own experience:

“Think about it, they must have been aware of all this last night, but they didn’t say a word to us about staying in the hotel. They let all the passengers return to the airport and then sleep on the benches. All they suggested is that we find an inexpensive hotel and then ask for an invoice.”

-he complained. 

The passenger told the news site that he and his family had arrived at the airport Tuesday afternoon, hoping for a small delay. However, Wizz Air gave no information for hours on the delayed departure time. The company never officially canceled the flight but only rescheduled it to 1 pm the following day. According to experts, this way the airline has to face fewer legal consequences. 

Wizzair fight
Read alsoWizz Air scandal! A massive fight broke out on the plane – VIDEO

People of all kinds, elderly, children, couples and families alike were stranded in Fiumicino Airport’s waiting room for hours. Some of the passengers were lucky and were able to return to their hotels. Others took buses to reach their destination while many were forced to spend the night at the airport as they could not afford accommodation or simply did not want to spend more money. 

Helpful airport staff

Thankfully, the airport staff proved to be rather helpful when they saw the big crowd stranded at the airport.

They began making phone calls to find accommodation for the distressed and exhausted passengers. 

As of the writing of this article, Wizz Air has not commented on this incident even though they promised to do so, ATV.hu reported. Eventually, they will be compelled to issue an official statement on the unfortunate event, especially since a similar incident happened just a few days ago. 

wizz air plane
Read alsoWill Hungarian Wizz Air fly to the USA?

Wizz Air scandal! A massive fight broke out on the plane – VIDEO

Wizzair fight

The cabin crew of the Hungarian low-cost airline had an extremely messy situation to sort out last week on the Gatwick-Crete flight. A group of rowdy Brits were drinking vodka, smoking and threatening other passengers on board. The unprecedented incident ended in a fight, during which the drunk passengers even hit the pilot. Read on for more details on the latest Wizz Air scandal!

According to the witnesses, the British passengers who started the fight were in their thirties and already drunk when they boarded the plane at Gatwick. On the flight to Crete, they even had another litre of vodka, making the situation even worse. In spite of the strict ban, the young British citizens were smoking on board and insulting other passengers during the journey. Meanwhile, they even made videos about their outrageous behaviour.

However, it was only at the point of landing that things got out of control. The drunk gang went wild when they were told that the Greek police were on their way to arrest them. They started a fight and beat those who tried to interfere, including the pilot – reported by Okosutas.hu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDK1IR5dUA4

After the police arrived and escorted the hooligans away, all passengers and staff had to stay for questioning. Those waiting for their return flight only saw the delays increase, and eventually, the flight’s departure time had to be pushed back by 12 and then 24 hours.

Read also: Man wanted to open a Budapest-bound plane’s door: police investigating

According to experts, the Hungarian airline cannot be blamed for the consequences of the incident, including the long delay. However, it is questionable why the passengers, who were visibly intoxicated, were allowed on board and why they were served alcohol by the crew.

Last week, the Hungarian airline had to take responsibility for another unfortunate case. One of Wizz Air’s Paris-Budapest flights was canceled due to bad weather conditions. As a result of the unexpected storm, roughly 200 passengers were stranded at Paris-Orly Airport – reported 24.hu. In addition to the possibility of refunding or rebooking the ticket, the Hungarian airline also offered to cover the accommodation expenses of the victims or give a EUR 250 compensation. The passengers had to pick the most convenient option for them.

wizz air over budapest
Read alsoWizz Air launches a new airline

Will Hungarian Wizz Air fly to the USA?

wizz air plane

The CEO of the Hungarian low-cost airline gave an interview to Trend FM and talked about the company’s plans. József Váradi highlighted that their performance level was 140 pc compared to the pre-COVID period. Furthermore, their new airline in Malta might start its operation this October. He also talked about their plans of entering the market of 8-hour-long flights.

Will Wizz Air fly to New York?

Wizz Air CEO József Váradi told Trend FM that the war in Ukraine caused only a temporary decrease in the market after the start of the Russian aggression. He added that he expected outstanding summer passenger traffic. He said that their four aircraft stuck in Ukraine are still there and are unharmed. “We have three planes in Kyiv and one in Lviv,” he stated. He said that they could not bring them out, but they would be able to fly after some maintenance. “We do not want to risk anything, so we are waiting for the right moment,” he said.

Wizz Air lost the Ukrainian and Russian markets because of the war, Váradi admitted. However, if things get back to normal, they will return to both countries.

Currently, the Hungarian low-cost airline has a fleet of 149 aircraft, mostly Airbus A320 and A321. However, they would extend that to 300 in some years and 500 in the long run. Furthermore, they will buy new Airbus types with which they could enter the market of 8-hour-long flights. The last time there was a direct flight between Budapest and, for example, New York, its flight time was 9 hours and 45 minutes, so

Wizz Air might even plan to enter the market of overseas flights. 

Furthermore, Wizz Air has several bases in Western Europe, including the United Kingdom. For example, on July 2, one can get from London to New York in only 7 hours and 20 minutes.

Currently, they have destinations in 54 countries

Váradi shared some other numbers regarding the current state of the air travel business. In April 2020, only 3 pc of the Wizz Air fleet flew. This rate increased to 80 pc in August but fell back to 10 pc by November. In the summer of 2021, 100 pc of the fleet was in operation. This rate grew to 140 pc by this spring.

Currently, Wizz Air has flights to 54 countries.

The CEO criticised European governments for subventioning national airliners during the coronavirus epidemic, while discount companies received nothing. He argued that, provided an airline needed state support, it did not have a viable business model. There are four airliners now on the London stock market in the “recommended to invest” category. One of them is Wizz Air, he said proudly.

He added that they did not plan to enter the New York or the Budapest stock markets. Instead, they would remain in London because it is one of the most investable capital centres in the sector.

 

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Read alsoPassengers stranded after Wizz Air cancels flight to Budapest

Passengers stranded after Wizz Air cancels flight to Budapest

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Wizz Air cancelled their Budapest flight, leaving over 200 passengers stranded at the Paris Orly Terminal. The people affected were only notified about the cancellation through SMS. Read below for details.

Trouble at the Paris Orly Terminal

Last Sunday, Wizz Air cancelled their Budapest flight due to a storm, reports 24.hu. The plane would have taken off at 9:55 pm from the Paris Orly Terminal. The people who were heading to Paris on the arriving plane had to disembark first in Brussels, and then they were taken back to Budapest. The passengers waiting in France were not notified by the Wizz Air staff in any way on what to do next. It was the airport staff who escorted them to a nearby hotel, but they could not give any further information on when to return to the airport. 

Over 200 people, several with children, were affected. Wizz Air was unresponsive, and according to reports, they only sent an SMS about the cancellation.

Wizz Air had failed to provide their passengers with further information before 24.hu published their article. Under regular circumstances, the hotel only allows guests to stay until noon, but their stay was eventually extended to 6 pm. The hotel also offered the unfortunate passengers basic meals apart from the accommodation.

Later, Wizz Air press services were compelled to further elaborate on the incident. The plane indeed failed to land at Paris Orly Airport due to the dangerous weather conditions. The safety of onboard passengers and staff was of utmost priority. They added that the plane which eventually landed in Brussels, did not continue its flight to Budapest afterwards. In the Belgian capital, passengers boarded buses that transported them to their destination.

Wizz Air responds

Wizz Air says that all passengers received information through email after the cancellation of their flight. In their letter, Wizz Air offered a detailed description of the unfortunate event, and further listed the available services to their passengers.

“According to our protocol, any passengers affected can retransfer their tickets to another flight or request a complete refund of their ticket purchase price. We will also cover the hotel expenses of our stranded passengers” the airline stated.

Wizz Air launches a new airline

wizz air over budapest

Wizz Air announces that based on the ‘Arrangement on Reallocation of Responsibility’ document signed Tuesday between the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) and the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (“CAD”), it intends to file an application for its Maltese subsidiary to be granted an Air Operator’s Certificate (“AOC”) with EASA and an Operating Licence (“OL”) with CAD.

Subject to confirmation of its AOC and OL from the EASA and CAD,

Wizz Air Malta may begin operations in October 2022 with Malta-registered aircraft.

Wizz Air Chief Executive Officer, József Váradi said:

“We are pleased to announce our intention to establish a new airline subsidiary in Malta. Wizz Air is constantly evaluating the structure of its business and exploring options to establish new AOC’s and bases in Europe and beyond. The successful establishment of Wizz Air Malta later this year will help to reinforce our strong position and support our expansion plans in Europe. We look forward to working with EASA and the Maltese CAA to take this application forward.”

Patrick Ky, Executive Director of EASA, said:

“This will be a new step in the already well-established cooperation between the Agency, the Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate and Wizz Air. This new set-up, where one group will operate multiple AOCs based in different Member States, but overseen by the same Competent Authority, demonstrates the possibilities available through the transfer of responsibilities to EASA. We are looking forward to working together on the issuance of this brand-new AOC and the subsequent oversight activities.”

Capt. Charles Pace, Director General of the Civil Aviation Directorate Malta, stated:

“It is an honour to have Wizz Air as one of the Airlines selecting Malta as one of their Principal Places of Business. The team effort and approach of CAD has once again been proven to be a winning formula. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CEO and Board of Wizz Air for their trust, and I look forward to working with EASA and Wizz Air in issuing the AOC and AOL.”

As we wrote last week, Wizz Air to launch flights to another rich Middle East country, details HERE.

Ukraine Refugees
Read alsoThis is how 10,000 Ukrainian refugees can fly to the UK for free

Wizz Air to launch flights to another rich Middle East country

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Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest-growing and greenest airline, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Investment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is supported by the Saudi National Air Connectivity Programme. The agreement aims to explore market development opportunities in the country’s aviation industry, says Helló Magyar.

Saudi Arabia has embarked on an ambitious strategic vision with the Vision 2030 programme, which aims to triple the country’s passenger traffic by the end of the decade. This target offers unprecedented opportunities for airlines and the aviation supply chain.

Wizz Air’s innovative and sustainable ultra-low-cost model has a proven track record of developing markets by making flying more affordable for a wider range of people than ever before.

The MoU reflects the potential of working with Wizz Air and the potential growth in demand that could contribute significantly to the economic prosperity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Following the agreement,

the parties will work on potential investment and operational models that will promote air transport in Saudi Arabia, boosting the country’s tourism and significantly increasing its connectivity.

wizz air
Read alsoWizz Air announced new destinations for the summer: Ukraine is among them! – UPDATED

Recent Wizz Air recognitions

Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing low-cost airline, currently operates a fleet of 154 Airbus A320, A321, A320neo, and A321neo aircraft with an average age of five years.

Wizz Air was recently named one of the 10 safest low-cost airlines in the world by AirlineRatings.com, which evaluates the safety and service of airlines worldwide, and was named Airline of the Year 2020 at the Air Transport Awards, the only international awards ceremony to recognise the best in the airline industry in all major categories.

The airline was named the most sustainable company in the airline industry by World Finance Magazine in 2021.

War breaking out between Romanian airlines and Hungarian WizzAir?

wizz air plane

The head of Wizz Air, the Hungarian low-cost airline, has harshly criticised Romanian airlines. He said they existed as zombies in the air transport market.

Zombies?

As Napi.hu reported, József Váradi, the head of low-cost airline Wizz Air, told the Cluj-Napoca news portal when he began to castigate the Romanian national airline Tarom and the country’s low-cost company, Blue Air. He said these two are practically zombies in the air transport market.

The European Union has relaxed the conditions for subsidies because of the losses caused by the pandemic but, according to Váradi, Tarom and Blue Air can only avoid bankruptcy with government money.

Aid by the EU

The Cluj-Napoca Chronicle reports that the Romanian national airline, Tarom, will receive €1.9 million in state aid. According to Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu, the European Commission considered the aid to be in line with EU rules and thus approved it a few days ago. The sum of €1.9 million will be used by Tarom to cover damages caused by the pandemic between 1 July and 31 December 2020, iho.hu writes.

Critics

“Two Romanian airlines, state-owned Tarom and low-cost airline Blue Air, are on the verge of bankruptcy,”

Maszol quoted József Váradi, the CEO of Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air.

“We had significant losses in the two years of the epidemic, but our solvency was not affected,”

added Váradi.

“At the moment, Wizz Air is the only airline in Romania that is up to date with payments; we have paid everyone, even during the epidemic, according to the contracts in force,”

the CEO told a news portal in Cluj Napoca.

“The other airlines are not paying their suppliers because they are technically bankrupt, but they are being kept alive with government and state subsidies (…) I can talk about Tarom and Blue Air, these companies are in financial trouble; they are not paying, they are heading towards failure, bankruptcy,”

he added.

Negative predictions

According to Maszol, this is not the first time that József Váradi has made predictions about the future of Tarom. In 2018, he said that “it is only a matter of time before Tarom disappears”. Other Wizz Air executives have previously made it clear that the company would be happy to take Tarom’s place on the Romanian market in the case it went bankrupt.

According to Napi.hu, the head of Wizz Air is not talking nonsense when he talks about the bankruptcy of Tarom. The company has been operating at a loss since 2008, and at the end of 2020, its debt exceeded RON 1 billion (HUF 76.6 billion, EUR 202 million).

wizz air plane
Read alsoHungarian Wizz Air continues to expand in the UK!

Wizz Air announced new destinations for the summer: Ukraine is among them! – UPDATED

wizz air

The coronavirus pandemic has slowed down the trend of travelling abroad. Now that we seem to be coming out of it, it is the war that is a negative factor. This summer, however, Wizz Air will be launching more new flights from Hungary, and even the Ukrainian capital will be back on the list, among some new destinations.

Back to Ukraine?

As we have reported before, at the beginning of April, Wizz Air cancelled all its flights to and from Ukraine and Russia until the end of October, that is, the end of the summer timetable. Now, according to hvg.hu, Wizz Air is flying to Kyiv again this summer.

Flights to Kyiv are full for the first week of July, tickets are no longer available.

Apart from the flights to Kyiv, more destinations are added to the timetable for the summer. However, it will take some time for the airline industry to get back to 2019 levels, that is, the pre-pandemic levels. The executive vice president (henceforth: EVP) of Wizz Air told pénzcentrum.hu that he expects it to happen by 2024-25.

Expectations

Wizz Air EVP Jourik Hooghe said that “people’s need for mobility will restore the appetite for travel”, but the airline is more confident in the long-term recovery than the short-term. They believe the airline industry may be back to 2019 levels by 2024-25.

“In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, our turnover fell by more than 70 per cent. Initially, we put the airline into hibernation to minimise losses, while continuing to invest in our network and fleet to be stronger by the time the industry rebounds,”

Hooghe told pénzcentrum.hu.

“The last two years have proven once again that the ultra-low-cost model is the fastest way to respond in the aviation industry, and we were able to open new bases and launch new routes during the pandemic, while several airlines were in a state of near-bankruptcy,”

the EVP added.

New destinations

As Wizz Air reported back in January, the capital of Moldova, Chișinău, will soon be accessible from Hungary. What is more, from this summer, it will also be possible to fly from Debrecen to Corfu and Burgas, Bulgaria.

“One of Hungary’s most popular resorts, Hévíz, will soon be connected to Dortmund in Germany, while the winter schedule will see passengers flying from Budapest to Hurghada in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan,”

Hooghe reported the good news.

UPDATE (04.24.)

Following our article, Wizz Air emailed us, emphasising that, based on their early-April announcement, they cancelled all flights to Russia until October 30. In the case of Ukraine, that cancellation was only until the end of June. However, even though there are bookable flights from July on their website, there are no real travel opportunities behind these. Therefore,

currently, nobody can travel to Kyiv.

They added that they keep monitoring the ongoing war in Ukraine. Once the authorities abolish the airspace closure, and travelling becomes safe again, Wizz Air is ready to launch flights to Ukraine.

 

Festetics Castle, Keszthely, Hungary, castle, building
Read alsoPopular tourist destination in Hungary among the best lake towns to visit in Europe! – PHOTOS

Important announcements from Wizz Air regarding mask-wearing!

Wizz Air

Because of the decreasing number of new coronavirus infection cases, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air changed their mask-wearing rules. They announced the relevant new regulations on their website.

New mask-wearing rules

According to Blikk, most countries are easing restrictions introduced to baulk the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, Wizz Air decided to change the rules of mask-wearing on their planes. Wearing a mask will be obligatory on all planes if the departure or arrival country prescribes them. Otherwise, mask-wearing will be the free choice of the cabin crew and the passengers. 

Wizz Air added that the new rule applies only to those passengers who have a certificate from their doctor saying why they cannot wear a mask. Furthermore, they must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test, which is not older than 48h. Passengers who would like to travel without a face mask have to contact Wizz Air’s helpdesk 48 hours before their travel and tell them they would not wear a mask during the flight. Moreover, they have to arrive 2 hours before their flight is due to show the two aforementioned documents, the medical certificate and the negative PCR test).

However, the cabin crew can also ask for these documents, so you should keep them with you during the flight. Importantly, provided you do not have these documents, you cannot be exempted from obligatory mask-wearing. For those not following the rules, Wizz Air may deny the trip.

Several popular flights are to be relaunched in June

Wizz Air announced that they would relaunch many of their former popular summer flights in June. These destinations include Sardine in Italy, Ibiza, and Palma de Mallorca in Spain. Moreover, the low-cost company will extend their Greece portfolio. The new destinations will include Corfu, Hanía, Heraklion, Mykonos, Santorini, Kos, Rhodes, and Zakynthos. Furthermore, they will fly to Burgas in Bulgaria as well.

The Hungarian low-cost airline adds new destinations regularly because they hope that this summer, the number of passengers will reach the pre-pandemic level, index.hu reported.

Here is a video about how you can plan, book, and fly confidently with Wizz Air:

 

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Hungarian Wizz Air continues to expand in the UK!

wizz air plane

The ultra low-cost airline will increase frequencies on six routes from the airport in time for the summer season

Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and most sustainable airline*, today announces it has successfully acquired an additional two daily slot pairs from Vueling at London Luton Airport. The deal means Wizz Air will increase frequencies on six existing routes from the airport – to Bacau, Craiova, Iasi, Sibiu and Timisoara in Romania, as well as to Wroclaw in Poland from 11 May 2022.

This expansion will see the airline increase its slot portfolio by 167,000 seats, cementing its position as the largest operator at London Luton Airport with over 5.6 million seats in total for the summer season. Tickets for the routes are on sale now on wizzair.com and on the airline’s mobile app, with fares starting from just £8.99**.

Passengers travelling with Wizz Air from London Luton will now have the choice of ultra-low fare routes to 75 destinations from the airport. Since its first flight in May 2004, and the opening of its base at London Luton Airport in June 2017, Wizz Air has flown passengers from London and the Southeast of England to an exciting array of well-known and off the beaten track destinations. The successful bid for more slots demonstrates Wizz Air’s long-term commitment to both the airport and surrounding region, providing an extra boost to the local economy and creating more local jobs.

Wizz Air is recruiting for ambitious cabin and flight crew at London Luton Airport, and welcomes applications from experienced cabin crew, as well as those with no previous experience. The airline also recently announced the biggest ever pay rise for its UK base cabin crew. Open recruitment days will be held on 12, 19 and 26 April 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott Luton Airport. For more information, visit: careers.wizzair.com/content/EventsCabinCrew/.

Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, said: “This announcement highlights

our continued commitment to London Luton Airport,

which was our first ever base in the UK. Acquiring two additional daily slots will allow us to provide customers with even more ultra low-fare travel opportunities. 2022 is off to a great start, especially with the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers. We look forward to a busy summer season, and passengers being able to enjoy our excellent service onboard one of the greenest aircraft available on the market today.”

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Weird – Wizz Air grants free flights to Ukrainian refugees but charges them for their luggage!

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Wizz Air grants free flights but charges Ukrainian refugees for their extra luggage.

Flights are free, extra luggage is charged

A British woman is outraged because the Hungarian airline did not grant free luggage along with free tickets for Ukrainian refugees fleeing war. Agnese Edmonds says she was “gobsmacked” to find out that a Ukrainian family of four who she had welcomed into her home had to pay £108 (HUF ~50,000, EUR ~130) to transport their two suitcases.

As the Mirror reported, Wizz Air offered the flight for free but asked the refugees fleeing the Russian invasion to pay for their bags. The low-cost airline announced earlier that it would provide 100,000 free seats for refugees coming from Ukraine. However, everyone will be charged for extra baggage.

What do penniless people do?

According to the Mirror, Edmonds, who lives in Essex, said she was “gobsmacked” to find out about the fee for the two suitcases and said that the charge felt “unfair and strange”. As we can read in szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu’s article, Edmonds said that the family who arrived at her home had very few belongings, but they still had to pay. She cannot even imagine what it feels like for those penniless people who somehow make it to the airport but cannot get on the flights that will give them a new life because of money.

As the Mirror reported, speaking to LBC, Agnese Edmonds said:

“Although they didn’t have too much luggage… the adults had one suitcase each, so they had to pay for that. So I’m not sure for those people who didn’t have any money, you know, how would they get through? Who would pay for them?”

Wizz Air’s promotion

To the outraged English host, it was obvious that in such a situation, the airline would not only provide the ticket but also the luggage free of charge. However, Wizz Air had previously explained everything precisely in the description of the promotion:

“The indicated number of tickets (100,000) at 0 EUR price applies until availability lasts for selected flights departing until 10 April 2022. One carry-on bag (max: 40x30x20cm) is included. Trolley bags, each piece of checked-in baggage, and additional services are subject to additional fees.”

What is more, Wizz Air has also specified that a valid Ukrainian passport is required to travel. In the absence of such a passport, passengers will have to pay the full fare of the flight before boarding.

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Here are Hungarian Wizz Air’s new routes from this summer/autumn

wizz air hungarian airline plane

Hungarian Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest-growing low-cost airliner, announced several new routes in the last few weeks as almost all restrictions connected to the coronavirus epidemic have been erased in Europe. Here are the latest directions they announced.

From July, those wishing to reach the island of Skiathos will also be able to do so from Milan Malpensa International Airport. For those wishing to travel to Kos, the Dodecanese island famous for its fine sandy beaches, a new route between Rome Fiumicino and Kos will be available from June. Both routes will be served by twice-weekly flights.

From September and throughout the year, those travelling to Germany will be able to do so on the new route that will connect Rome Fiumicino airport and Dortmund, the historic city in the Ruhr area. This new route will be operated three times a week.

NEW WIZZ AIR ROUTES FROM ITALY

DESTINATION FREQUENCY FARES FROM** STARTS
Rome Fiumicino – Kos Monday, Friday 19,99 EUR 6 June 2022
Milan Malpensa – Skiathos Tuesday, Saturday 19,99 EUR 5 July 2022
Rome Fiumicino – Dortmund Monday, Wednesday, Friday 19,99 EUR 5 September 2022

Furthermore, they announced the launch of one new route

from Bucharest to Aarhus,

the second largest city in Denmark. The new service will be operated twice/week on Thursday and Sunday starting September 29. Wizz Air continues to expand its operations throughout the network, as the industry returns to its pre-pandemic capacity, they said.

Moreover,

they will introduce a new route from Vilnius to Split in Croatia.

First flights will be taking off starting June 13, tickets can be purchased today on the company’s website www.wizzair.com or using the Wizz Air mobile app. Tickets prices start at 19.99 EUR.

According to their website, the company has recently updated and expanded its route map. The passengers from Vilnius can now travel to sunny Barcelona (Spain) and Athens (Greece), rich with historical treasures, and also from Kaunas to Eindhoven in the south of the Netherlands. For leisure or business travel, it will once again be possible to choose previously popular travel destinations to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, the southern Danish city of Billund, Doncaster in the north of England and Nice on the Mediterranean coast.

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