Wizz Air passengers surge despite engine dispute
Wizz Air passengers jumped above five million in December 2024, a two per cent increase from last year, even as the company was forced to ground dozens of its planes due to engine issues.
The FTSE 250 carrier reported 5.06m customers throughout last month, despite a 3.1 per cent drop in seats from last December to around 5.8m.
This translates to 86.5 per cent of its seats being filled, up from 82.1 per cent at the end of 2023.
“Early indications for our fourth quarter period, ending March 2025, remain positive, with bookings currently running ahead by over two percentage points versus this time last year,” said the low-cost airline.
Earlier this week, Wizz Air agreed compensation terms with engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, attempting to address the continued grounding of around 40 of its planes due to engine issues.
The grounding is expected to persist throughout the 2026 financial year, and is due to “powder metal issues” in the company’s geared turbofan engines.
Pratt & Whitney are set to provide operational support, as well as a compensation package covering direct costs related to the grounded aircraft.
Broader negotiations on engine selection remain ongoing, Wizz Air added.
Following the engine problems, the company said it was set to buy around 50 new Airbus A321NEOs, which will grow seat capacity by about 20 per cent, while taking the type of aircraft to 77 per cent of Wizz Air’s fleet.
Carbon dioxide emissions from the firm dropped 3.4 per cent, while emissions per passenger decreased by 4.1 per cent from last year, to 53.7 grammes of carbon dioxide.
In November, a former Wizz Air executive was fined £125,000 by the Financial Conduct Authority for trading company shares in the lead up to its financial results.