• Wizz Air Getty Gdansk
    Wizz Air
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    W6/WZZ
    Airline Type:
    Ultra-Low-Cost Carrier
    Year Founded:
    2003
    CEO:
    József Váradi
    Country:
    Hungary

Wizz Air has repatriated one of its Airbus A320s stuck in Ukraine since February. The stranded plane departed Lviv on September 13th and landed in nearby Katowice, Poland, after flying at 10,000 feet with its transponder off. We take a closer look at this fascinating story below.

Wizz rescues A320 stranded in Ukraine

After Russian military forces began shelling Ukrainian targets on the morning of February 24th, Wizz Air had a few aircraft stationed in the country, including a nine-year-old Airbus A320-200 (registration: HA-LWS) at Lviv International Airport (LWO).

With Ukrainian airspace immediately shutting down, the Hungarian carrier had no choice but to leave its aircraft on the ground. On September 13th, the airline finally reclaimed one of its Airbus A320s following a stealthy low-altitude flight out of Lviv and across the Polish border.

wizz air a320 lviv to katowice
Pilots kept the plane's transponder switched off until it crossed over into Poland. Photo: FlightRadar24.com

A Wizz Air spokesperson said,

"Wizz Air confirms that, following an in-depth risk assessment and thorough preparation, its one aircraft based in Lviv departed from Danylo Halytskyi International Airport (LWO) and successfully landed in Katowice on 13 Sep 2022."

Lviv International Airport, located around 60km from the Polish border, finally granted permission for the aircraft to take off following almost seven months on the ground. Flight data from FlightRadar24.com shows the plane had its transponder switched off until it crossed the border and flew at 10,000ft.

Wizz Air Airbus A320-200 - HA-LWS

The rescued aircraft is a nine-year-old Airbus A320-200 (registration: HA-LWS) delivered brand-new to Wizz Air in April 2013. The Hungarian carrier does not own the 180-seater jet as it is on lease from Tokyo Century Corporation.

The aircraft's final flight before being stranded in Lviv was a commercial service from Memmingen to Lviv on February 23rd. It isn't clear how Wizz managed to receive clearance to fly the aircraft out after seven months, but it offers hope for its other planes stuck in Ukraine.

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Three other aircraft stuck in Kyiv

After Russian forces entered Ukraine in late February, Wizz Air was one of the few carriers to have civilian aircraft in the country. Along with HA-LWS, the airline still has three more Airbus A320s stuck in Ukraine - HA-LWY, HA-LPJ, and HA-LPM.

A Wizz Air A320
HA-LWS photographed in 2017. Photo: Raimond Spekking via Wikimedia Commons

These three aircraft are stranded in Kyiv, located much further away from the Polish border (around 550km) compared to Lviv. Repatriating these three planes could be much more difficult.

Do you think Wizz Air will be able to rescue its three other Airbus A320s? Let us know in the comments.