Wizz President Carey leaves, making way for three promotions

Wizz Air Holdings Plc President Robert Carey has departed the airline, paving the way for promotions of three executives across the Hungarian budget carrier.

Chief Operations Officer Michael Delehant will become senior chief commercial and operations officer, while Diarmuid O’Conghaile, the managing director of Wizz Air Malta, will become chief operating officer, Wizz said in a statement. Head of Operations Control Mauro Peneda will be taking on O’Conghaile’s role at Wizz Air Malta.

Carey, who joined in June 2021 as president, has left the airline to “pursue other interests,” Wizz said. He previously worked at Delta Air Lines Inc., EasyJet Plc and America West Airlines. Chief Executive Officer Jozsef Varadi will be in charge of commercial leadership responsibilities for the next three months, according to Wizz.

The executive’s departure “may intensify scrutiny on the prospect of Wizz recovering pre-pandemic margins over time,” wrote Neil Glynn, managing director of research firm Air Control Tower in a note to clients. Still, “Wizz Air is no stranger to C-suite turnover under the constant presence of CEO Varadi, for example, with multiple CFOs occupying the role since IPO in 2015.” 

Wizz was trading 1% lower at 10:45 a.m. in London. The stock has declined 7.5% this year. 

The leadership changes come as airlines brace themselves for their busiest time of the year. Air traffic control issues in Europe have already caused disruption for carriers such as Wizz and Ryanair Holdings Plc.