Aviation industry needs to refocus, says Wizz Air CEO

By Joanna Plucinska

LONDON (Reuters) - The airline industry will have to put quality at the forefront and refocus in the wake of an incident where a cabin panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines plane, Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi told Reuters on Thursday.

U.S. regulators on Wednesday froze increases in production of the 737 MAX, raising concerns over growth plans of airlines and suppliers worldwide.

The FAA said the order meant Boeing could continue producing MAX jets at the current monthly rate, but it could not increase that rate.

"Production lines across the industry will be somewhat contained until absolute certainty is created around quality control," Varadi said.

While Wizz Air is an Airbus customer, Varadi said "technological development will slow down because of increased scrutiny."

The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to some of the quality challenges, impacting workforces and access to materials, he added.

"Every actor needs to put out the right system to minimize any of the hiccups arising from new tech or production."

Wizz Air reported a bigger third-quarter operating loss than expected on Thursday, as the budget carrier grapples with engine inspections that have grounded parts of its fleet and the suspension of flights due to the Middle East conflict.

(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska; editing by David Evans)