Wizz Air Shares Climb on Strong September Traffic

Shares of Wizz Air Holdings Plc (LON: WIZZ) rose 2.5% on Thursday following the release of its September traffic statistics, which revealed an 8.8% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers.

The budget airline carried 6.265 million passengers during the month, signaling strong demand for its services.

Seat capacity also increased, rising 7.6% compared to September 2024. This resulted in a load factor of 92.8%, a 1 percentage point increase year-on-year, indicating efficient capacity utilization and strong revenue generation.

The load factor demonstrates Wizz Air’s ability to fill its planes, a key metric for profitability in the airline industry.

Wizz Air also reported a reduction in its CO2 emissions, achieving 49.8 grams per Revenue Passenger Kilometer (RPK) in September. This marks the second consecutive month with emissions below 50 grams, a 4.8% reduction compared to August's figure, which itself was down 2.5% from the previous year.

In a strategic move to optimize its network, Wizz Air announced the closure of its Vienna base by March 2026, citing unsustainable cost increases.

Two aircraft will be redeployed to a new base in Bratislava, Slovakia, by November 14, while the remaining three aircraft will be integrated into other parts of the network by March next year. This move is consistent with management's efforts to develop lower-cost airport options.

The company's rolling 12-month figures also demonstrate positive trends. Passenger numbers increased by 7.0% year-on-year to 66.654 million, while capacity rose by 5.7% to 73.097 million seats. The rolling 12-month load factor stood at 91.2%, up 1.1 percentage points compared to the previous year.