A Wizz Air Budapest Wroclaw flight was unable to depart as scheduled from Budapest on Monday after a technical problem was discovered shortly before departure, Daily News Hungary has learned. Passengers were already prepared to travel when the problem emerged, and they were subsequently told that the airline would provide a replacement aircraft.
Wizz Air Budapest Wroclaw flight unable to leave on time
The affected service is Wizz Air flight W6 1840, operating from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) to Wrocław (WRO) in Poland on 7 September.
According to the boarding information seen by Daily News Hungary, the flight was scheduled to depart from Budapest at 12:10 PM, with arrival in Wrocław expected at 1:25 PM. Boarding had been scheduled for 11:45 AM. However, the aircraft did not depart as planned.
Information provided to Daily News Hungary indicates that a technical problem was identified only when passengers were already prepared for the journey. The exact nature of the fault was not immediately known.
Passengers were informed that an aircraft change would be necessary, meaning another plane is expected to operate the Budapest-Wrocław service instead. At the time of writing, it was not yet clear how long the aircraft replacement would take or what the revised departure time would be.
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Passengers waiting for replacement aircraft
The incident comes at a particularly frustrating point in the journey for passengers, as check-in and the preparations for departure had already been completed before it became apparent that the scheduled aircraft could not operate the flight.
An aircraft change can require additional time even when a replacement plane is available. The new aircraft may need to be positioned at the correct gate, prepared for the flight and subjected to the necessary operational procedures before passengers can depart.
For now, the information given to passengers suggests that Wizz Air intends to operate the flight rather than cancel it, using a replacement aircraft. Daily News Hungary has no information at this stage suggesting that passengers will have to be rebooked onto a different service.
UPDATE: Replacement plane ready by 1:05 PM
The replacement aircraft was ready by 1:05 PM on Monday:
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What travellers should know about flight delays in the EU
Wizz Air is a Hungarian-founded low-cost airline headquartered in Budapest, while Wrocław is one of Poland’s largest cities and a major business and tourism destination in the country’s southwest.
Because the flight is departing from an EU airport, passengers are covered by European Union air passenger protection rules. Depending on the eventual length and circumstances of the delay, travellers may be entitled to assistance such as refreshments and, in the case of significantly longer disruption, additional rights.
Whether financial compensation applies depends on factors including the length of the delay on arrival and the precise cause of the disruption. A technical problem does not automatically determine whether compensation is payable, so passengers should retain their boarding passes, booking information and any written notifications from the airline.
The priority now is the promised aircraft replacement. Daily News Hungary will update the article if further information becomes available about the revised departure time or the cause of the technical problem.
Read also: Hungarian passenger changes his mind three times – Wizz Air actually let him fly home for free
