Wizz Air CEO stands by major jet-delivery plan in boost to Airbus

Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi said Europe’s third-biggest discount carrier will take delivery of hundreds of new jetliners as planned despite idling 90% of capacity in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Wizz will accept all 15 Airbus planes due this year, followed by the rest of its commitment, to position itself for a post-virus rebound in travel demand and seize on expansion opportunities as the pandemic pushes rivals toward collapse, Varadi said Wednesday. While European airlines have enough cash to survive two months on average, according to the IATA, Varadi said Wizz has sufficient liquidity to span 1 1/2 years, and called on states to resist handing out aid that could distort the market by propping up inefficient carriers. “Most European airlines have been badly mismanaged when it comes to liquidity,” he said from Wizz’s headquarters in Budapest. “Now they’re all begging for state support. Governments should only be stepping in in areas of employment and reducing charges such as air-navigation costs.” Varadi said he’s concerned that Germany in particular might dole out billions of euros in backing for Lufthansa that would “completely destroy the market” and set a precedent for bailouts with a social agenda. Only the UK appears to be taking a measured approach, he said, with a pledge to provide aid only as a last resort and then on purely commercial terms.<br/>