Malta's Lauda Europe extends A320 ops to 2027/28

Wizz Air Malta adds first aircraft, completes certification

Wizz Air Malta (WMT, Malta Int'l) has completed its certification drive after adding its first A321-200NX ahead of its planned launch on September 27, 2022.

9H-WAM (msn 10389) was transferred from sister carrier Wizz Air (W6, Budapest), where it operated as HA-LVS through September 18, 2022. Following brief maintenance at Katowice, the aircraft was ferried to Budapest on September 25 and to Malta Int'l the day after. Once induction formalities were finalised in Malta, the A321neo was ferried back to Budapest.

Wizz Air Holdings plans to place 78 aircraft with the new Maltese unit by the Summer 2023 season, Transport Malta Director General for Civil Aviation, Charles Pace, shared.

The Maltese airline has a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AOC rather than a Maltese one. However, its Operating Licence was issued by the Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate.

"We are expecting this airline to register a substantial amount of aircraft in our country, further increasing the number of our already strong 9H- fleet. Malta will...

Wizz Air Malta to complement, not replace, Hungarian AOC

Wizz Air Malta (WMT, Malta Int'l) will complement rather than replace the Hungarian Air Operator's Certificate of Wizz Air, its president, Robert Carey, told the German aviation news website Aviation.Direct.

Carey did not discuss the network plans for the new unit and said only that it was being set up to "diversify" the Wizz Air Holdings structure.

The holding plans to obtain an AOC issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and an Operating Licence issued by the Malta Civil Aviation Directorate (CAD). The new carrier plans to launch operations in October 2022 using Maltese-registered aircraft, although the holding did not reveal how many of its A320 Family twinjets it will transfer.

Wizz Air Holdings also has a unit in the UK with a local AOC, Wizz Air UK, and another in the United Arab Emirates, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

Once certified in Malta, the LCC will join its rival Ryanair, which maintains two Maltese AOCs: Malta Air and Lauda Europe.

Eurowings Europe to move AOC from Austria to Malta

Malta Air to open Vienna base