Wizz Air has rejected allegations published by several Serbian media outlets claiming the airline operated aircraft from Belgrade without adequate maintenance support or in a manner that compromised safety, insisting it remained fully compliant with all applicable regulations throughout the period in question.
The reports emerged amid a broader dispute between the airline and Serbia's civil aviation authorities. In recent months, Wizz Air has accused the Serbian Directorate of Civil Aviation of introducing regulatory measures that could ultimately force the closure of its Belgrade base from this November. Separately, Serbian media reported that the airline's contracted maintenance providers had faced regulatory action, raising questions over the carrier's maintenance arrangements.
In a statement, Wizz Air said the reports incorrectly linked administrative licensing issues affecting third-party maintenance providers with flight safety. "Any suggestion that Wizz Air has operated aircraft without adequate maintenance support or in a manner that could compromise safety is entirely false", the airline said, adding that aircraft airworthiness, maintenance quality and safety standards had never been in question.
According to Wizz Air, its Belgrade operation had been supported for more than fifteen years by Global Maintenance, an EASA Part-145 approved maintenance provider. However, on April 20, the airline was informed that the company had been ordered by the Serbian Directorate to suspend its activities. Wizz Air said it immediately transferred maintenance support to Avia Technics, another EASA-approved provider already supporting its operations in Tuzla and Podgorica.
The airline added that Avia Technics subsequently became subject to the same ground handling licensing issue and began obtaining the required Serbian licence. To ensure uninterrupted maintenance coverage, Wizz Air deployed its own EASA-approved Part-145 maintenance organisation to Belgrade on May 27. It said the Serbian authorities confirmed that a separate ground handling licence was not required for maintenance performed under a self-handling arrangement by its own approved organisation.
According to the carrier, Avia Technics received the required ground handling licence on June 4, after which maintenance activities were transferred back to the company, while Wizz Air's temporary maintenance deployment ended two days later.
Wizz Air maintained that approved maintenance coverage was available throughout the entire period, with qualified personnel continuously supporting operations and aircraft maintenance never interrupted. It stressed that the issue concerned licensing requirements for maintenance providers rather than maintenance standards or flight safety.
The airline also noted that it continues to use the services of Jat Tehnika for certain maintenance work in Serbia and said it reserves the right to protect its reputation against what it described as “false and misleading reporting”.
Full support for Wizz Air! Hopefully they sue Serbia
ReplyDeleteAnd hopefully they win.
Delete+1000
Delete+1
DeleteAlways full support to Serbia! Wizz air have to comply with laws or go out
DeleteSupport to wizzair. Serbia needs to modernise and stick to its commitments.
DeleteSupport for Serbian 🇷🇸 tax authorities to do the same thing as a EU 🇪🇺 state of Germany 🇩🇪
DeleteSame thing? To keep opened LCC base in their countries like FR has in HHN, FKB, NUE...?
DeleteSure, fully support to it.
Wizz need to sue everyone if these are lies.
Delete"
DeleteSure, fully support to it "
Then why don't they pay taxes?
^ there are many many enterprises in the country whose tax relationship is less than clear. Wizzair need to stay.
DeleteThey pay taxes...landing fees, salary taxes, PDV...
DeleteEveryone pays that, without based aircrafts. That’s W6 advantages that they don’t want to loose
Delete@10:12
DeleteIt'a not lies, W6 just admitted that it's true. They tried to avoid Serbian laws twice, but caught redhanded both times. Pink sheriff thinks that Serbian laws doesn't apply to them, since they have EU registered planes. And now DCV is forcing them to register planes in Serbia and comply with Serbian laws. Passenger safety is priority number one!
What on earth does Pink Sherriff mean for goodness sake? Stop forwarding mistruths.
DeletePink sherriff is Marek, as he is trying to be Wizzier than Wizz :)
DeleteAnonymous @11:08
DeleteAnd Serbia is such a serious country with 100 percent.rule of law, where after 15 years regulations change overnight. So, your explanation is beyond ridiculous
My gut tells me that Marek will end up out wizzing the wizzers
DeleteNone except JU and W6 pay salaries and taxes on salaries in Serbia.
DeleteFrom foreign airlines only W6.
Serbia protecting Air Serbia
Delete11:25
DeletePink sheriff means that W6 is above the laws. They think they should follow their rules, not common ones.
12:25
Yes, Serbia has its laws, believe it or not. It not changed after 15 years, they are just caught breaking rules after 15 years. Justice is slow, but inevitable
@13:56 -1 x2
DeletePilots from Pink are in AS...they know how to play..CAA should tell us how they cooperate with Air Pink so long...
DeleteWell there is something JU is forgetting. W6 base might go but not their presence. I expect a full on attack after that happens and JU might be in a world of trouble. We already see Wizz growing over 20% this year and that's before they boosted BVA, PMO & DTM. JU on the other hand grows barely 3%.
DeleteJust simply do what Germany has done with taxes, find excuse and clean up everything like they did in Berlin 🇩🇪🇪🇺
DeleteYes but Germany increased taxes for everyone and they are actually removing them now. I don't think we should be copying them
DeleteLooks like W6 is waiting for EU to step in other wise i think they will actually go.
ReplyDeleteEU is stepping in for over a month now and still nothing happened. W6 hopes and prayers will stay hopes and prayers
DeleteThe EU has not done anything (yet)
DeleteBecause there’s nothing to do
DeleteYes. It will just be a sign for all companies in the EU to avoid doing business with Serbia in the future, because at any moment the country can decide you need kicking out and will manifacture a reason to support it.
DeleteSure it will. When you open your business abroad, you have to follow rules over there. Same in Serbia.
Delete@11:10 and now this is an issue? Come on, stop defending the indefensible out of some blind patriotism. Its not cool.
DeleteExtraordinary. So this offensive on Wizz air has been months in the making.
ReplyDeleteYes from what I heard JU initiated this last year
DeleteWhere did you hear that, in the local kafana?
DeleteIz izvora bliskih šanku
DeleteOf course it's JU since no one but them profits from this decision. They will have less competition, they will charge higher fares and they will have more room to expand in the morning. The government actually stands to lose the most here. Lower fares make the Serbian market less competitive.
DeleteAnd again same your zama agenda BS... Stop being ridiculous. JU is growing last 10 years with Wizz present. It has 10 times more planes, 5 times more routes and 3 times more passengers... Does it ring a bell? No, because you are just repeating same nonsenseness like broken record. And still no one cares.
DeleteThis has nothing to do with Zama but with common sense. JU rapidly expanded when W6 was having problems with engines. Last year W6 starte growing so JU growth was just 3%, same growth this year again.
DeleteJU slowdown happened when W6 started growing rapidly.
JU will publish its Q2 results next Friday or the Mondag after and growth is far more than 3% :)
DeleteGiven some of the issues in the country regarding infrastructure safety this rings of a calculated attempt to diacredit wizz who operate some of the newest aircraft into Belgrade Airport.
ReplyDeleteYup and to make matters even more tragic it's JU that hired Marathon which almost crashed due to pilot error and poor SOP implementation
DeleteI dont blame them for that. They reated fast and professionally after. But wizzair is definatly no less safe than JU and far more eyes on its operation around Europe.
DeleteThat’s exactly why Wizz will have to follow procedures that DCV issued. Easa standards are outdated and not reliable.
DeleteWho said that about Easa? Majstor Mile in local kafana?
DeleteYes. EASA standards are poor. EU standards are poor, right? Don’t have such a short memory span please.
DeleteExactly, EASA standards brought EU based Ejet OY-GDB without valid documentation for repairs, parts, dates, so Air Serbia had to reject it after few months of trying to tie loose ends. EASA doesn't follow its own procedures and doesn't control own based planes.
DeleteAlso, EASA licensed pilots almost made biggest catastrophe ever at BEG because they skipped procedures on their own. Sorry, someone have to take care about safety in Serbia. And that's DCV's job.
W6 announced for some destinations from BEG frequency increasing. Also they didn't stop hiring new people in Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteSo, I am sure they stay with their base in BEG.
We can hope.
DeleteThe state is trying to convince people that somehow EU accredited maintenance providers are not adequate and instead the state's regulators are!
ReplyDeleteAnd wonder why people are laughing at them...
It's not about whether they are good or not, it is about following the law. Why should Wizz be the only airline in Serbia exempt from following any regulations?
DeleteBecause such regulations didn't exist till yesterday?
Delete+100
DeleteIt’s the law? Hahahahahahaha oh my word you gave me a good laugh. If only we weren’t in the Balkans
DeleteIt existed, of course. But W6 didn't follow it, in order to maximise profit. They are just caught few months ago. Then they tried again and caught again. They will disregard safety again to gain profit, it's so obvious.
Delete11:05
What's so funny dude? Balkans should not have laws? Maybe in your Balkans. In Serbia there are laws and must be obeyed.
@11:25 laws in Serbia are regularly flouted. On road building, not to mention railways...
DeleteHahahahahaha, I had seriously good laugh with laws in Serbia that must be obeyed. Probably the same laws were obeyed in Novi Sad during nadstrešnica construction
Delete+1
Delete+1000
DeleteCan we just stop with this fake bs propaganda about how much of a lawful country we are, and that everything here is respect, but not in the EU. Who do you think is going to be fooled by this? Do you really think that someone believes in this, or if you are saying 1M times it's going to be true?
DeleteI don't think anyone is buying what the government is trying to sell us.
Delete+100
DeleteThis just shows that the Serbian government and Air Serbia are a bunch of liars!
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteYour spin efforts are useless, no matter how many times you repeat it.
DeleteW6 just confirmed everything was truth from the same beginning. They also admitted that they tried to trade safety for profit. Not in Serbia!
@11:30 what Serbia do you inhabit mate? lol
DeleteWhen you take into account the intense campaign to discredit Wizz, it becomes clear where the truth really lies
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteYes it’s pretty obvious TBH
DeleteW6 and your hysterical campaign tells a lot. 1000 times repeated lie still is a lie
DeleteJust like you keep on repeating that JU had nothing to do with this?
DeleteOf course it doesn't. Air Serbia is profitable and growing stable despite poor Wizz Air efforts. It has 5 long haul routes this year and 4 widebody planes, unlike Croatia Airlines that is close to bankcrupt. Everyone see that, so your broken record repeating is futile.
Delete@14:17 what on earth are you on about?
DeleteI’d like to share my perspective on the Wizz Air situation in Serbia as a former employee of the airline based in Belgrade.
ReplyDeleteFrom my personal experience, safety protocols and cabin regulations were always strictly followed — we never compromised on that front. However, as an employer, Wizz Air was without a doubt the worst I’ve ever encountered. During my time there, they asked us to relocate to other bases, and most seriously, they required us to work without proper work visas. This was over 10 years ago, and many of my colleagues and I faced real legal trouble. Wizz Air couldn’t have cared less. That is ultimately why I decided to leave — you simply don’t want to work for an employer with that kind of attitude toward its own staff.
Regarding what’s happening in Belgrade now, I fully support the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate’s decision to apply the same rules to all airlines operating from Belgrade as a home base. The only issue I see is that Wizz Air has enjoyed a privileged position for over 15 years — something I personally find difficult not to view as a political arrangement with the previous government in Hungary.
That said, I don’t believe Air Serbia is behind this move. Even if Wizz Air were to pull out of Belgrade entirely, Air Serbia simply doesn’t have the capacity to absorb those passengers. Beyond that, Serbia is an extremely price-sensitive market. The low fares Wizz Air maintains also pressure other airlines operating out of Belgrade to keep their prices reasonable. Remove that competition, and prices will rise — and in this market, people won’t just pay more. They’ll stop flying and look for alternatives.
I’m a frequent flyer of Air Serbia for many reasons, and despite everything I experienced as an employee, I genuinely want Wizz Air to stay in Belgrade — because healthy competition benefits everyone.
They can fly W flights from the EU or Ryanair could step in and others, no need for Air Serbia to absorb all the pax. The market will rearrange itself. Great comment though 👍.
DeleteOr perhaps we could just leave things as they are and as one person will for sure state soon enough 'idemo dalje'
DeleteLeave things as they are BUT start paying taxes in Serbia, no problem with that.
DeleteI don’t think it’s a great comment because it lacks credibility. Without proper work visas in EU countries? I don’t think so. You wouldn’t have taken off the ground
DeleteDoes it mean other foreign companies will start paying taxes as well? That would be something new
DeleteSo you support W6 leaving only now when you no longer work for them. How convenient for you and yes JU is behind this. They are the only ones who will profit from this
Delete"Former Wizz employee" is paid ad
DeleteAnonymous11:15
DeleteOther airlines don't have a base in Serbia.
This whole episode does very little to inspire confidence in the Serbian aviation sector, at least at a political level. Its vital for a country such as Serbia, which operates essentially as an island surrounded by EU member states is promoting openness and connectivity.
ReplyDeleteSacrificing over 150 local aviation jobs and choking affordable tourism just to shield a state-backed enterprise is a short-sighted exercise in protectionism that ultimately penalises ordinary Serbian travellers.
ReplyDeleteTry to think about it the other way around, wizz air has been privileged over 15 years, bow its tine to actuaöly benefit serbia and register planes here. No worries othersise in sure they vill fly in and out, As will other take there place.
DeleteSo you support less competition and higher fares?
DeleteWill it be higher prices because they register in Serbia? Or fly in and out? Is that what youre telling me?
DeleteThey said that they will not get a Serbian AOC so they will cut flights. With less flights JU will go crazy with their prices.
DeleteYou dont think someone else will step in?
DeleteNo.
DeleteIf anyone had wanted to step in they would have done it already.
No one has left for someone to step in.
DeletePeople don't fly to Belgrade because of Wizz Air, less than 5% maybe (of Wizz Air passengers). Belgrade, unlike other cities (especially Buda****pest) is rarely advertised on their webpage, we already talked about it. Si they fly because they have to, because Serbia is their destination. Therefore they'll either use them, or use other airlines, pure and simple. The market isn't going nowhere.
Delete@14:18 your argument is totally wrong and badly stated. Nothing logical about it so perhaps think better next time before making yourself look silly.
Delete@14:18
DeleteWith the Greatest of respect rename yourself Aero-illogic. How do you know how often Belgrade is promoted on their website? This varies according to location etc and if you have an issue with the fact you haven't seen it being advertised perhaps you need to ask yourself what your problem is. FYI Its spelt Budapest in English.
Overall your comment doesn't make a lot of sense but i believe you are trying to say that passengers will come irrespective of Wizzair? Which is not correct. The Airline holds 20% of all passengers flying to the city utilising 4 high density A321s which form and stimulate a market in of itself. This is not instantly replicable by an airline such as JU for which transfers account for 40% of its passenger base.
So where will those passengers go, vanish? 😂
DeleteAerologic rarely uses facts or logic. We are used to it by now. No one will step in on routes like ALC, NCE...
Delete@17:02 think about things properly and adjust your logic.
Delete@15:59
DeleteExample of Malev and 100 other airline bankruptcies in the world proves you wrong. Any loss of market volume was temporary, especially given Wizz Air has next to none unique markets out of Belgrade.
@16:09
People fly for a destination, not be sitted in a pink pest aircraft.
Btw my spelling of Budapest was correct, i was just excluding any bad words.
@17:03
DeleteJU flies to 6 destinations in Spain and used to fly to Nice.
Don't see why they or any other airline couldn't start it.
Either way it's less than 2% of BEG's network.
Yeah we all remember how well the market was served by Vueling. You really want to go back to that? JU will not increase flights, they will increase prices though.
DeleteAt the end of the day JU is a government owned and run company. Did people really expect them to be competitive when faced with W6? Come on guys...
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, they ARE competitive. They've done well by many measures. Without a solid Belgrade based LCC i predict that JU will actually suffer going forward either through complacency or the significant arrival of external players who (if given permission) have finances that eclipse those of Wizzair, not to mention JU, in any struggle for dominance in the region.
DeleteCould this whole situati9n backfire on Air Serbia? What if airports started to restrict access to Air Serbia because of this?
ReplyDeleteWhat are you smoking?
DeleteThey won't but Wizz Air will no doubt attack them from markets they can serve with a W pattern. They have a major base in Rome so they can cover Italy from BEG quite well, that is a problem for JU. Italy is a big market for them.
DeleteYes with 10 destinations in Italy operated by JU, Wizz is really a major problem for JU...
DeleteAttack them with W pattern? lol there is a reason Wizz Air does not do many of those. Because it increases costs singificantly. You are giving Wizz Air way too much credit. Or you think Wizz Air is going to baloon its costs for 4 planes in Serbia.
DeleteI wish Wizz Air will stay but so far they have shown very little knowledge of what they are dealing with. They organized 1 press conference attended by barely 10 people, which almost no one covered and that's about it. They didn't even send the CEO for it. Do you know what Ryanair would have done? They would have created a whole stunt, bring in O'Leary etc and outplayed the media.
They informed the EU which gave a very diplomatic answer that they will look into it. At the end of the day, I can guarantee you the EU will do absolutely notihing (they have done nothing for much bigger things in Serbia). They are not going to bend over backwards for a private airline and will especially do nothing in the middle of summer when there is almost no one in Brussels bureocracy anyway. They are on their 2 month holidays.
It is obvious that this is a planned attack towards Wizz air. Doing everything to even make the public believe Wizz is unsafe so they have indeed no choice, but to leave…Although planes are rotated between bases very often and therefore checked by “other maintenance ” centres, so I guess the Serbian CAA should claim that other airports maintenance is also “unsafe”. Such claims lack logic…I doo hope though, that Wizz air will win. Solely because Wizz air competes fairly with Air Serbia and doesn’t use any hideous tactics like JU…and because of 150(and potentially more) jobs.
ReplyDeleteNo one will believe them because Wizz Air customers are happy with them, they are not going to believe a government that is so unpopular right now. This will just backfire in the end.
Delete