London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Wizz Air boss sparks backlash over fatigue request

Wizz Air boss sparks backlash over fatigue request

Wizz Air is facing a backlash from pilot unions after the airline's boss appeared to call on crew to work through fatigue.

Chief executive Jozsef Varadi said staff should go "the extra mile" when tired so that the airline could avoid cancelling flights.

Pilot unions said flying when fatigued is dangerous and his comments showed a "deficient safety culture".

But Wizz Air said Mr Varadi was addressing all workers not just pilots.

Like some airlines, Wizz Air has been forced to cancel flights over the recent Jubilee bank holiday which coincided with schools' half-term break because of "widespread shortages in staff".

On Wednesday Mr Varadi told workers: "Now that everyone is getting back into work, I understand that fatigue is a potential outcome of the issues but once we are starting stabilising the rosters, we also need to take down the fatigue rate.

"I mean, we cannot run this business when every fifth person of a base reports sickness because the person is fatigued. We are all fatigued but sometimes it is required to take the extra mile."

Mr Varadi added, "The damage is huge when we are cancelling the flights, it's huge. It is reputational damage of the brand and it is the other financial damage, transactional damage because we have to pay compensation for that."

The European Cockpit Association, which has been pushing for union recognition at Wizz Air, shared a short clip of Mr Varadi's address.

It said the comments encouraged pilots to fly when fatigued, and called on regulators to step in.

"It's like handing the car keys to a drunk driver," the union said, adding it showed a "deficient safety culture" at the airline.


Martin Chalk, general secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa), said that "fatigue has been shown, in many studies, to have effects on a person's thinking and decision making similar to alcohol".

"No-one supports pilots or other safety sensitive staff working with alcohol in their system," he said, adding that he was "very surprised by the apparent views of Mr Varadi on fatigue".

He called on Mr Varadi to clarify his comments, and that if he really believed pilots should fly when fatigued, "he should consider whether he is in the right job".

When airline pilots are very tired "it can be life or death", he added. "People's lives are important, and we don't squander them for no reason - definitely not for profit."

There are restrictions on the number of hours air crew are supposed to work.

Rules state that air crew should not fly, and should not be required to fly, if they are in a state of fatigue which could endanger passengers or the aircraft.


Wizz Air denied that Mr Varadi was specifically targeting pilots but was speaking to all staff. It said in a statement: "Our crew unavailability has been very low, at 4%. In this context, going the extra mile to minimise disruption was discussed.

"What this does not mean is compromising safety. Wizz Air and the airline industry are highly regulated, and safety has, and always will be, our first priority."

It added: "This clip has been edited from an all staff briefing - not pilots only, but also cabin crew and all office employees - on key business updates and current challenges facing aviation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
×