On May 1, the first flight from Budapest landed at the Transylvania Airport of Marosvásárhely / Târgu Mureș. The flight, operated by Hungarian airline Wizz Air, is among the first to be relaunched after the COVID-19 epidemic seriously disrupted the airline industry and cut into profits.
Starting May 4, there will be three flights per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), and after the lockdown ends, the operator will resume its daily schedule. Wizz Air’s effort to breathe new life into its business by reconnecting the two cities comes after the liberal government led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said it would likely relax lockdown measures after May 15 if the epidemic curve flattens.
To ensure they are able to protect the health of passengers and crew,
Wizz Air has introduced extra several additional security measures to support social distancing during boarding and cleanliness on
board. Starting May 1, face masks
will be mandatory for all
passengers and crew.
The company recommends passengers check in and pay for any additional needs, such as extra bags, online to reduce non-essential interaction at the airport.
During the flight, the cabin crew will be required to wear masks and gloves and will distribute sanitizing wipes to each passenger. Onboard purchases are allowed, although card payment is suggested to minimize physical contact. On flights where the number of available seats allows, the crew will monitor and support physical distancing between passengers.
Wizz Air will continue its stringent daily cleaning schedule as well, in line with official guidelines, with the entire aircraft being disinfected overnight.
“Wizz Air highly recommends passengers contact the responsible authorities for precise details to confirm their eligibility and conditions of travel. Wizz Air reminds all passengers that they are responsible for being aware of the travel conditions related to the country of arrival prior to their travel,” the company told TransylvaniaNOW in an emailed statement.
From May 2020, flights from Timișoara to Brussels Charleroi (Belgium), Paris Beauvais (France), Barcelona El Prat (Spain), Dortmund, Frankfurt Hahn (Germany), Rome Ciampino (Italy) and London Luton (UK) will resume subject to no further restrictions.
Budapest-based Wizz Air has a strong presence in Central and Eastern Europe, with 39.8 million passengers last year.
Another low-cost operator, Romania’s Blue Air, has also relaunched its flight on the Kolozsvár/Cluj-Bucharest route, which is now available for booking once per week. You may recall that Blue Air is one of the Romanian airlines asking for financial help from the Romanian government.
Title image: A Wizz Air plane arrives at Transylvania Airport. Image credit: Ferenc Péter’s Facebook page
