By Benjamin Pham
How Wizz Air’s Attainment of EASA Safety Certification Shapes the Airline Group’s Brand
One of Europe’s major low-cost carriers, Wizz Air, recently received the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Air Operator Certificate, which designates the EASA as the chief safety expert and inspector that will oversee the airline’s safety procedures, while the Hungarian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to oversee the airline’s licensing and route plans. Upon receiving this certification, Wizz Air Hungary, the primary airline in the Wizz Air Group will be the first airline in the European Union to do so since the EASA unveiled its regulatory legislation in 2018.
“I am delighted to announce that Hungary is the first Member State that innovates Europe’s airline regulation, while Wizz Air Hungary is the first airline to have EASA as a European competent authority overseeing its AOC,” József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air said in a written statement. “This groundbreaking regulatory model between the Hungarian and European authorities underpins Wizz Air’s growth ambitions and provides many new opportunities to innovate the industry as it has done during the past 16 years.”
Wizz Air will operate its A320 family aircraft on new Abu Dhabi flights starting this June.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | Aron Mester)
The certification will permit the EASA to oversee the airline’s fleet of Airbus A320s, A320neos and A321s and A321neos, totaling 126 aircraft currently in service. The Budapest, Hungary-based budget carrier expects to increase the number of A321neos in its fleet to 276 aircraft by 2026 and debut 20 A321XLRs starting in 2023, delivered over the course of three years.
Furthermore, the airline’s current plans to rapidly expand its fleet to serve its network in Europe — complemented by its recent acquisition of EASA’s Air Operator documentation — will allow the prominent low-cost carrier of Central Europe to compete against the two dominant low-cost carriers in Europe, easyJet and Ryanair.
Along with the primary carrier based in Hungary, Wizz Air has two subsidiaries, based in the United Arab Emirates and the U.K., that collectively shape the Wizz Air Group. The request for the EASA to perform regulatory supervision in Hungary will allow the airline group as a whole to enter prospective and competitive markets.
In fact, Wizz Air’s subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates recently announced two A321neos will be based in Abu Dhabi. The aircraft will serve six destinations in the preliminary network effective October 1 through October 3, featuring Greece, Georgia, Egypt, Cyprus, Armenia and Ukraine.
The certification for Wizz Air Hungary will play the crucial role of providing the airline with the opportunity to operate its low-cost business model to meet the travel demands and stimulate market growth within Europe safely and efficiently. Meanwhile, its rapid fleet expansion will assist the airline group as a whole to efficiently operate its long-haul flights, specifically with the addition of the A321XLRs.
Benjamin has had a love for aviation since a young age, growing up in Tampa with a strong interest in airplane models and playing with them. When he moved to the Washington, D.C. area, Benjamin took part in aviation photography for a couple of years at Gravelly Point and Dulles Airport, before dedicating planespotting to only when he traveled to the other airports. He is an avid, world traveler, having been able to reach 32 countries, yearning to explore and understand more cultures soon. Currently, Benjamin is an Air Transporation Management student at Arizona State University. He hopes to enter the airline industry to improve the passenger experience and loyalty programs while keeping up to how technology is being integrated into airports.
