Wizz Air’s load factor increases despite Ukraine conflict
Low cost airline Wizz Air is on track to get back to pre-Covid levels, as the Ukrainian conflict has so far impacted the carrier marginally.
In February, Wizz Air carried 1.9 million passengers at a load factor of 91 per cent – a 258 per cent increase on February 2021.
Even though it was forced to cancel all operations following the closure of both the EU and Russia’s airspace, the airline reported 2 per cent less flights compared with what was originally scheduled. March flights are expected to be 7 per cent less because of the conflict.
“With the closure of Ukrainian, Moldovan and Russian airspace, the Company has suspended all flights to and from Ukraine and Russia while operating Moldova flights out of Iasi, Romania,” the company said in a statement. “We will continue to review the suspensions as the situation unfolds.”
Wizz added that its operating loss for the year will remain consistent with previous guidance, as the situation’s impact was mitigated by improving the post-Covid trading environment.
“We continue to work through the operational challenges arising from the crisis in Ukraine and we are redistributing capacity to routes and bases where we can drive demand in line with our proven ULCC model,” commented the airline’s chief executive Jozsef Varadi.
Following a few negative days, Wizz Air’s shares today went up 2.62 per cent.