Wizz and IAG in slots coup

Take-off and landing slots owned by failed airline Monarch at Gatwick and Luton changed hands in dramatic fashion last week with British Airways parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) and Hungary-based carrier Wizz sharing the headlines.

Wizz Air secured all the slots at Luton shortly after it had established a new base there, adding four aircraft to the one already installed and announcing it would launch 30 more flights a week. 

Last week, it said it would now increase the Luton fleet by another two aircraft, making seven, and increase capacity by another 18%, meaning more than 10,000 more seats on 28 new additional flights every week. The new routes would be announced soon, Wizz said. 

The news came shortly after IAG confirmed it had acquired the Monarch slots at Gatwick. A spokesman added: "These slots will be used by the group's airlines, primarily British Airways, enabling them to grow their presence at the airport and launch new destinations and add extra frequencies."

The deals followed a court appeal earlier which ruled the lucrative slots could be sold by Monarch administrator KPMG (BTN last week). KPMG claimed the slots were Monarch’s most valuable assets and together could be worth up to £60m.

www.wizzair.com

www.iairgroup.com

https://monarch.caa.co.uk

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