Saturday, June 29, 2024
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Wizz Air has recently faced significant disruptions due to airport slot management issues caused by multiple concurrent weather events across Europe. These events have strained the capabilities of air traffic control authorities and Eurocontrol, leading to widespread delays and cancellations throughout the European airline industry, impacting Wizz Air’s operations.
On June 26 alone, European airspace experienced approximately 450,000 delay minutes, with 360,000 minutes attributed to weather, resulting in significant delays exceeding three hours. Over the past four weeks, Wizz Air has encountered more than 30,000 additional airport slot delay minutes compared to the same period last year due to this extraordinary situation.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers, but this issue is beyond our control. Wizz Air was prepared for smooth summer operations; however, the air traffic control system is experiencing significant challenges this summer. As an industry, we must address these issues with the relevant air traffic management authorities, including Eurocontrol, to ensure proper mitigation actions are implemented to minimise disruptions.
Wizz Air will continue to inform passengers who booked directly with the airline about any schedule changes via SMS and email. We strongly advise passengers to book directly on our website or app for timely schedule updates and direct customer assistance. Passengers who booked through online travel agencies (OTAs) or other third parties should check their flight status and request changes as necessary through the respective OTAs.
It’s important to note that this issue affects many airlines, leading to limited hotel capacities across Europe. Wizz Air is doing everything possible to accommodate as many passengers as possible, but if external partners cannot support all requests due to lack of room availability, passengers may need to arrange their own accommodation. Passengers can be assured that they can claim reimbursement for relevant out-of-pocket expenses up to a reasonable amount through Wizz Air’s official website.
