Wizz Air September Passengers Rise 24% on Higher Capacity

Wizz Air reported a 24.2% year-on-year jump in September passenger numbers to 7.78 million, driven by a 25.3% increase in capacity, even as its load factor dipped slightly amid a stronger pricing environment, according to an Investing.com report.

The airline's traffic expansion highlights fleet scaling across European low-cost carriers, contrasting with recent capacity adjustments made by management to navigate fuel price volatility and regional geopolitical tensions.

Capacity Expansion and Passenger Growth

During September, Wizz Air offered 8.46 million seats, representing a 25.3% increase compared to 6.75 million seats available in the same month a year earlier.

The resulting 7.78 million passengers represented a 24.2% rise over September of the prior year. Meanwhile, the airline's load factor fell 0.8 percentage points to 92%, a movement that Wizz Air attributed in part to a stronger pricing environment and improving trading conditions.

Rolling 12-Month Performance

For the 12 months leading up to September, passenger numbers increased 19% to 79.33 million. Capacity over the same 12-month period rose 19.3% to reach 87.20 million seats.

The rolling load factor for the annualized period edged down slightly to 91%, compared with 91.2% in the preceding 12-month cycle.

Strategic Targets and Prior Adjustments

The traffic updates follow previous operational adjustments by the carrier. Wizz Air previously cut its planned second-half capacity by 5% to counter geopolitical uncertainty and fuel price volatility.

Despite those near-term adjustments, management outlined longer-term ambitions at its September 17 capital markets day, setting a medium-term target of reaching €10 billion in revenue and 127 million annual passengers by fiscal 2030.