Wizz Air boss looks to Brexit as an opportunity to grow

VILNIUS, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The boss of Hungarian low-cost
airline Wizz Air said he did not expect Brexit to
disrupt his operations, and that it could actually present an
opportunity to grow as competitors fall away.

Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi told Reuters that Wizz Air's
UK subsidiary had all permits that would be needed to operate
flights between Britain and EU member countries, as well as
nations.

The carrier, which is headquartered in Hungary but listed in
London, founded Wizz Air UK in 2017 as a contingency to ensure
full market access to Britain beyond Brexit.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to take his
country out of the European Union on Oct. 31, with or without a
deal to govern its trading relationship with the bloc.

"If a no-deal Brexit happens on Oct. 31, I don't think you
as a customer would notice when it comes to flying Wizz Air,"
Varadi said on the sidelines of a conference in Vilnius.

"Possibly further consolidation opportunities would arise as
a result of Brexit and Wizz Air UK can become a consolidating
platform in the UK," he added. "We would be interested in
backfilling market gaps if airlines go down, or possibly take
over some assets and use them in our platform."

The EU reserves flights between destinations within the bloc
only for airlines that are majority owned and effectively
controlled by EU, European Economic Area or Swiss nationals.

EasyJet, Ryanair and British Airways-owner
IAG are among airline groups likely to be most affected
when British shareholders are no longer EU nationals.

Wizz Air UK bought slots at London Luton from collapsed
Monarch Airlines in 2017, growing its presence at the airport.

The Wizz Air group, the largest low-cost airline in central
and eastern Europe, expects that region to account for 70-80% of
its growth over the next 6-7 years, Varadi said.

The airline has ordered 271 Airbus planes, to be delivered
by 2036, when it expects to operate a fleet of 300 aircraft.
(Reporting By Andrius Sytas; Editing by Anna Ringstrom and
Pravin Char)