The budget carrier on Tuesday (17 May) confirmed plans to seek the necessary permissions for a subsidiary. This includes seeking a European air operator’s certificate (AOC) and Maltese operating licence.
It is in talks with Easa, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, and Malta’s civil aviation directorate. Subject to gaining the necessary permissions, Wizz hopes to begin operations in October using Malta-registered aircraft.
“We are pleased to announce our intention to establish a new airline subsidiary in Malta," said Wizz chief executive Jozsef Varadi.
"Wizz Air is constantly evaluating the structure of its business and exploring options to establish new AOCs and bases in Europe and beyond.
"The successful establishment of Wizz Air Malta later this year will help to reinforce our strong position and support our expansion plans in Europe."
Patrick Ky, Easa executive director, added: “This will be a new step in the already well-established cooperation between the agency, the Maltese Civil Aviation Directorate and Wizz Air.
"This new set-up, where one group will operate multiple AOCs based in different member states but overseen by the same competent authority, demonstrates the possibilities available through the transfer of responsibilities to Easa."
