Wizz Air’s Brexit contingency plans take off as it secures UK licence
Wizz Air today confirmed it has been granted a UK air operator’s certificate and operating licence to safeguard its flights post-Brexit.
The Hungarian airline said it has always been committed to the UK and its continued expansion will mean more investment and jobs in the UK as it looks to consolidate its position further.
Last October, the carrier said it would set up a UK subsidiary to guarantee that it can keep operating flights in the UK when Britain leaves the bloc.
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Wizz Air UK will be headquartered at London Luton Airport and starts operations today, the 3 May. The UK subsidiary will have eight aircraft in service by the end of 2018.
The airline opened its UK base at London Luton last June, and today Wizz Air said the subsidiary will employ 300 people this year.
József Váradi, chief executive at Wizz Air, said:
Today marks the start of a new era in air travel in the United Kingdom, as we celebrate Wizz Air UK’s first flight following the approval of its UK operating licence.
While Wizz Air UK is a key part of our Brexit contingency plan, it is also the first genuine ultra-low cost carrier licensed in the UK and the natural next-step in the development of our UK business, putting us in a strong position to take advantage of opportunities that may arise in what remains Europe’s largest travel market.
The news came alongside the carrier’s April traffic statistics this morning, with passenger numbers up 19 per cent, and load factor rising 0.8 percentage points to 90.9 per cent.
Wizz Air’s UK licence comes after Easyjet set up an EU-based airline last July in order to continue intra-European flights, whatever happens with Brexit negotiations.
The airline applied for a new air operator certificate in Austria to set up Easyjet Europe which is headquartered in Vienna.
In January, Ryanair said it was applying for a UK licence too to shore up its preparations for when Britain leaves the EU.
Flying rights at present are dictated by EU-wide deals and airlines do not have an obvious fallback arrangement to shore up flights should a deal between Britain and the EU fail to materialise.
Transport secretary Chris Grayling has said it is “inconceivable” that planes will stop flying when Britain leaves the EU, and that as well as seeking a positive open skies agreement with the bloc, progress was being made on talks with third countries.
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