Wizz Air takes delivery of A330-200(F) for gov’t ops

Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) took delivery of its first dedicated freighter, and simultaneously its first widebody aircraft, in the form of A330-200F HA-LHU (msn 1578). The aircraft was ferried from Doha Hamad Int’l to Budapest on October 18, painted in the livery of its former operator Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int’l) with the airline titles removed and already with the Hungarian registration. It will be operated on behalf of Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The six-year-old dedicated freighter was retired by Qatar Airways on July 15, 2020, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. Hungary has not had a flag carrier since the collapse of Malev (MA, Budapest) in 2012. Wizz Air is by far the largest airline registered in the country and Budapest remains its largest base by weekly capacity. However, the bulk of the ultra-low-cost carrier’s operations do not touch Hungary. The ULCC does not operate any dedicated freighters or widebody aircraft, focusing instead on passenger services operated with a fleet of 122 Airbus narrowbodies.