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…