In a stealth mission, WizzAir successfully repatriated one of its four Airbus passenger jets trapped in Ukraine.
WizzAir Airbus A320 Rescued From Ukraine In Covert Operation
Flying at just 10,000 feet with its transponder off, a WizzAir Airbus A320 flew from Lviv, Ukraine (LWO) just over the Polish border to Katowice (KTW) on Tuesday.
An A320 from Wizz Air that has been on ground in Lviv, Ukraine since 23 of February 2022 was flown to Katowice in Poland, on Tuesday.
The aircraft was flying at 10.000 feet and it turned the transponder on when it crossed the border into Poland.https://t.co/VNCb07dGgj pic.twitter.com/ZfLeXoxBiB
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) September 15, 2022
Via Business Insider, WizzAir confirmed it had removed its Airbus from Lviv after an “in-depth risk assessment.”
Due to instability in the area as Russian and Ukrainian forces exchange gunfire, the airspace over Ukraine has largely been closed off to commercial jets for seven months. It has been suggested that the aircraft flew at such a low level to evade radar and anti-aircraft missiles.
WizzAir still has three Airbus jets trapped in Ukraine, all in Kyiv (KBP). It is not clear, especially after the publicity its first mission drew, will try similar measures for its other three aircraft, which are also a farther distance from Poland or another safe country than in Lviv.
WizzAir drew controversy last month after announcing its intention to restart service between its Abu Dhabi hub and Moscow. The carrier backpedaled, later blaming “supply chain” issues, though clearly, its move was more a response to the backlash it received.
CONCLUSION
There are over 100 foreign aircraft currently trapped in Ukraine and Russia, with airspace over Ukraine still closed to commercial traffic. The success of WizzAir’s first mission may embolden it and others to more aggressively take steps to remove its aircraft from the war zone.
image: WizzAir
I wonder if insurance shapes the decision. If there’s no insurance, then it depends on the owner of the plane.
10,000 ft. is not that low.
Even with the transponders off, I would think an A320 at 10,000 ft would light up anti-aircraft radar.
Seems like it’d be less than 10 minutes of flight time from Lviv airport to the polish border, thus crossing at 10K feet- I’m not sure if that really is indicative of anything particular other than the situation at the time the transponder was turned on?
Lviv to the Polish border is less than 50 miles. It’s roughly 250 miles from Kyiv to the Polish border and sort of close to the Belarus border.
Perhaps the 3 planes could fly uninsured and as a Red Cross flight, carrying injured civilians?
Lufthansa suspended flights to Ukraine on February 20, later than other airlines, but Wizz kept flying there.
@derek – You might be surprised at how much insurance the IFRC requires to operate “Red Cross” flights, even in war zones.