European ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Wizz Air saw its capacity spike last month, carrying over 4.7 million passengers. The surge represents an increase of more than 14% year-on-year.
The airline has been a strong competitor in Europe’s low-cost market. January’s numbers come after it was revealed that over 60 million travelers flew with the carrier in 2023.
According to Wizz Air, 4,740,815 passengers were carried last month, contributing to a year-on-year increase of 14.2%. Its load factor was 82%, but the airline said it was “primarily attributable to an increase in one-directional VFR traffic and the reallocation of capacity in response to evolving geopolitical events.”
Photo: Airbus
In a statement last week, the ULCC said it hopes to enhance efficiency in the future, further assisting in recovering load factors.
“Wizz Air is actively implementing measures to optimize our network and adapt to these dynamic conditions, with the aim of enhancing efficiency and supporting a recovery in load factors going forward.”
Here is the airline’s capacity statistics for the month:
|
January 2024 |
January 2023 |
Change |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Capacity (seats) |
5,783,426 |
4,822,972 |
19.9% |
|
Booked Passengers |
4,740,815 |
4,149,850 |
14.2% |
|
Load Factor (rounded to one decimal place) |
82.0% |
86.0% |
-4.1pp |
In a “rolling 12 months” period, Wizz Air also significantly improved its seats and booked passenger count:
|
January 2024 |
January 2023 |
Change |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Capacity (seats) |
67,370,107 |
54,483,223 |
23.7% |
|
Booked Passengers |
60,904,125 |
47,415,081 |
28.4% |
|
Load Factor (rounded to one decimal place) |
90.4% |
87.0% |
3.4pp |
Throughout January, the airline added new routes and restarted some flights, helping it increase its capacity. Flights between Aqaba (Jordan) and Abu Dhabi were “reinstated” on Sunday, while service to Tel Avivis expected to return in March. The airline will connect the city with routes from Budapest, Sofia, Bucharest, Krakow, London, and Rome at the beginning of next month.
The airline also recorded its highest number of travelers in the third quarter.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority commented that the carrier is “fully compliant with commitments made to its customers.” It comes as Wizz Air set new records in 2023, serving over 60 million passengers. Over 15 million were carried during the third quarter – the single highest number of travelers carried in one quarter.
The airline’s revenue also soared during Q3, recording over a billion Euros, which was nearly a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2022. At the same time, the airline has been mindful of its environmental footprint.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
According to the carrier, it has “the lowest carbon emissions per passenger” compared to its competitors.
“Wizz Air continues to consistently report the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km among competitor airlines, with 51.8 grams per passenger/km for the rolling 12 months to 31 January 2024. For the month of January, CO2 emissions were 54.9 grams per passenger/km (7.2% higher than the same month last year).”
Wizz Air’s fleet comprises nearly 200 Airbus A320 and A320neo family aircraft. With a young and efficient fleet, the airline was named “Global Environmental Sustainability Airline Group of the Year” by the CAPA-Centre for Aviation Awards for Excellence last year.
Simple Flying caught up with Wizz Air’s management about its plans.
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