Pilots union opposes Wizz Air’s US market ambitions

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Hungarian airline Wizz Air’s plan to enter the American market is being opposed by a US pilots’ union, which claims it uses “a toxic culture of reprisal” against its employees. Wizz Air’s lax attitude to issues such as fatigue and illness could also compromise safety, according to the opinion of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), dailynewshungary.com reports. 

Wizz Air submitted a request to operate its A330-200F cargo plane in the US in January. However, ALPA has asked in a letter to the Department of Transportation (DOT) that it not issue charter or cargo permits to Wizz Air without first consulting European aviation authorities. 

According to ALPA, Wizz Air is “anti-union” and lacking in a safety culture, according to UK outlet Flightglobal. ALPA president Joe De Pete said last week that Wizz Air dismisses pilots for not working  overtime or if they are ill, therefore the company would be harmful to the US flight market. Wizz Air has not yet responded to a media inquiry on its opinion of ALPA’s letter. 

Flightglobal noted that last week a Danish pension fund sold a USD 3.4mn stake in Wizz Air after it refused to join in collective bargaining with employees in several countries. Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi said unions were “killing the business” in a 2020 interview, dailynewshungary.com recalled.

Source: Daily News Hungary

CET Editor

Recent Posts

Baltic states ramp up air, missile defences

The Baltic states are stepping up their air, missile and drone defence capabilities, as Estonia,…

5 days ago

Polish bourse WIG index tops 100,000 points in historic first

Poland’s main stock market index, the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WIG), closed above 100,000 points for…

5 days ago

Polish PM declares national strategy to lead CEE, as nation celebrates 1,000th anniversary

Poland has launched a new national doctrine aimed at establishing the country as the dominant…

5 days ago

Prague expands airport, revamps tram service

Prague has launched two major transport infrastructure projects, expanding Vaclav Havel Airport and introducing a…

5 days ago

Poland tops employment rankings – OECD report

The EU’s employment rate reached a record high of 70.9% in the fourth quarter of…

2 weeks ago

Greece plans to repay Eurozone’s bailout loans whole decade in advance

Greece has announced plans to repay its first bailout loans a decade ahead of schedule,…

2 weeks ago