Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has announced it plans to restart flights from its
bases in Timisoara, Romania, and London Luton on 1 May, but the decision has been
met with criticism.
The carrier will resume service from Timisoara to Brussels
Charleroi, Paris Beauvais, Barcelona El Prat, Dortmund, Frankfurt Hahn, Rome Ciampino
and London Luton – but only if the Romanian government decides to lift its
current travel restrictions.
At Luton, the Hungarian carrier plans to restart flights to
Budapest, Hungary; Cluj-Napoca, Constanta, Craiova, Iasi, Suceava, Targu Mures,
Satu Mare and Timisoara in Romania; Belgrade, Serbia; Bratislava and Kosice,
Slovakia; Lisbon, Portugal; Tenerife, Spain; and Tel Aviv, Israel. While the UK government hasn't closed its borders, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised against all but essential travel anywhere outside of the country.
To reassure passengers, Wizz Air has introduced security
measures to ensure safe social distancing during the boarding process and has
enhanced its cleaning procedures, with aircraft disinfected overnight.
Customers are being encouraged to check in and make any purchases online, such
as paying for additional bags, to reduce non-essential contact with others at
the airport.
Throughout flights, cabin crew will be required to wear
masks and gloves and will distribute sanitising wipes to each passenger. It
plans to continue on-board purchases but is encouraging contactless payments.
However, the announcement has been labelled “irresponsible” by
Paul Charles, chief executive of the PC Agency, on Twitter, while Which? Travel
claimed Wizz Air made the decision so it does not have to cancel flights and
can therefore avoid the legal obligation to refund passengers if they decide
not to fly.