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Hungary’s market-leading airline said it will operate 1,200 flights per day during the summer period. The carrier is entering the season with 15 new routes, 19 aircraft and nearly 3 million seats, representing growth of around 30% compared with the same period last year.
From the start of the school holidays, millions of Hungarian passengers are expected to fly with Wizz Air, primarily to Mediterranean destinations, while cooler northern destinations are also becoming more popular among travelers.
The airline said the summer period is the busiest time for European aviation, requiring additional preparation to support more flexible flight operations.
A larger summer action group will again operate at the flight operations center, ready to respond immediately in the event of disruption. Experts will be in contact around the clock through a hotline linking the center, customer service, ground handlers and the communications department.
Wizz Air said summer weather conditions, including storms, regularly affect flight schedules. Operations will also be supported by artificial intelligence.
As last year, Wizz Air is working with HungaroControl, the Hungarian air navigation service provider, to bring forward the first early morning departures, making the all-day schedule more predictable and stable.
The airline is also modifying flight organization so that it can more easily correct issues in the event of delays.
Wizz Air is also asking passengers to help ensure that flights can depart on time. The airline advises passengers to arrive at the airport earlier than usual, at least two hours before departure, and to carefully check which items can be placed in checked baggage and carry-on luggage.
It also asks passengers not to delay others during boarding and disembarkation, to place only larger suitcases in overhead bins, put all other items under the seat, and sit in the seat shown on their boarding pass.
Wizz Air has introduced a delay assistance service, which can be purchased during booking. On the day of travel, the system automatically checks the flight status and notifies passengers in advance if their flight is delayed by more than two hours or canceled.
It then displays an easy-to-use rebooking interface, where affected passengers can switch to another flight to the same destination free of charge up to a set amount.
If the offered booking options are not suitable, affected passengers can receive a full refund of their booking price, including the flight ticket and services purchased for the flight, such as WIZZ Priority and checked baggage. They can still use the flight included in the original booking.
Another new service is Wizz Link, which allows passengers to combine bookings that were previously handled separately. This means travelers who want to fly through several cities can manage their bookings in one place.
Wizz Air has also introduced another convenience function on its flights. Passengers can now place orders for food, drinks and other onboard products through the airline’s mobile app using Bluetooth, even during the flight.
The service reduces waiting time, allows passengers to receive their orders before trolley service in some cases, and does not require an internet connection.
In May, Wizz Air delivered strong operational performance across its network, achieving a flight completion rate of 99.99%. The airline said 82.67% of its flights arrived within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, which it described as a strong punctuality indicator.
During the summer months, Wizz Air will operate 1,200 flights per day across its full network, covering several continents and almost 200 destinations. During this period, a Wizz Air aircraft will take off every 72 seconds on average, carrying more than 200,000 passengers per day across nearly 50 countries and 185 airports.
More than 4,000 cabin crew members, as well as several thousand engineers and operations staff, are involved in operating the flights.
“Operating 1,200 flights in a single day is a proud moment for Wizz Air, and we are doing this with our continuously expanding fleet of 269 aircraft equipped with the most modern technology. This fantastic milestone is made possible by our extensive network and the strong demand from our passengers, who continue to choose Wizz Air for affordable and reliable travel,” said Diarmuid O’Conghaile, chief operating officer of Wizz Air.
“It is also a tribute to the thousands of Wizz Air colleagues who ensure this scale every day, from pilots and cabin crew to maintenance, ground operations and customer service teams. Our Operations Center working behind the scenes, supported by advanced digital tools, artificial intelligence-based decision-making and modern operational technologies, helps us manage every complex situation and provide our customers with a reliable schedule even during the busiest travel period of the year,” he added.
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