Interview: József Váradi, Wizz Air CEO

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As Europe’s fastest growing low-cost carrier, it should come as no surprise that Wizz Air jumped on the chance to establish a subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi launched operations this year as a joint venture between the Hungarian airline group and ADQ, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. It is hoping to grab a large slice of the lucrative Gulf market, which has, to date, been relatively inhospitable to low-cost carriers.

Much more surprising was the willingness of Abu Dhabi to partner with Wizz Air in the first place...

Interview: Abdelhadi Mansur, Berniq Airways General Manager

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Libya’s Berniq Airways took to the skies in March with an inaugural service from home base Benghazi to capital city Tripoli.

The new airline, which is named after Princess Berenice II of ancient Egypt, launched operations with a nine-year-old Airbus A320.

Its largest shareholder, Benghazi’s Bank of Commerce & Development, has an opaque ownership structure that includes some public-sector entities. But, with 60% of the airline in private hands, general manager Captain Abdelhadi Mansur said he has no concerns about political interference...