DALLAS – European low-cost carrier Wizz Air (W6) announced that it carried 15% more passengers during 2022 than pre-pandemic in 2019.
A pre-Chhristmas passenger boost saw 4.2 million passengers carried during December, up 27% from the same period in 2019. Load factor peaked at 84.5%, a 9% increase on the same period in 2021.
December’s figures saw the total number of passengers carried during 2022 to 45.6 million, more than double the number carried in 2021.
Aggressive Expansion
However, despite these positive figures, the numbers came in below the airline’s previous load factor expectations of 90%. Load factors were also down from the 93.6% during the 2019 calendar year.
As Covid restrictions were eased across Europe, W6 has aggressively restored its capacity. New routes from Italy and Austria to Saudi Arabia were launched. It also expanded its presence at its Rome (FCO), Vienna (VIE), Warsaw (WAW), Tirana (TIA) and Belgrade (BEG) bases. It also opened a new base at Suceava (SCV), Romania.
W6 has also expanded its winter 2022/23 capacity by 35%, owing to its confidence in expected passenger demand.
Reducing Emissions
As the aviation industry pushes towards a more sustainable future, W6 said in a statement that it “continuously operates amongst the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km amongst all competitor airlines, with 55.2 grams per passenger/km for the rolling 12 months to 31 December 2022.”
During December 2022, the airline’s CO2 emissions were 55.3 grams per passenger/km, a 13.3% drop compared to December 2021.
Featured Image: Wizz Air Airbus A320 (HA-LYE). Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways.
