Wizz Air to cut flights as Hungary closes borders to foreigners
31 August, 2020
Wizz Air will sharply reduce weekly flights to and from Hungary from September 7, the airline said, after the government announced it could ban the entry of foreigners to attempt to rein in the coronavirus outbreak.
Hungary announced on Friday that it would close its borders to foreigners from Tuesday, September 1 to curb a growth in infections and Hungarians returning from abroad will have to go into quarantine.
Wizz Air said in a statement that it could operate 32 flights weekly between Monday, September 7 and Wednesday, September 30, down from around 126 flights in the September 1 to 6 period.
On Sunday, Hungary recorded 292 new infections, the highest daily number because the start of the pandemic. Hungary has already established a total of 5,961 coronavirus cases and 614 deaths.
"From September 7 until 30 a greater reduction in flights should be expected, and only the most used routes will remain designed for passengers," the airline said.
The low-cost airline, which lately has expanded from eastern into western Europe, has been among the fastest airlines to recuperate from the Covid-19 crisis.
Wizz Air warned last week that its recovery could stall as Covid-19 warnings and restrictions hamper travel across Europe but said Britain's quarantine rules hadn't led it reconsider long-term expansion plans there.
Source: www.thenational.ae