Wizz Air passenger numbers fell for the first time this year as issues with its Pratt & Whitney-manufactured engines hit capacity.
Some 4.9m passengers flew with Wizz in April, down 0.3 per cent year-on-year. Load factor, the proportion of seats sold by an airline, also dipped slightly to 90.3 per cent.
The figures reflect the ongoing impact of supply chain hiccups with the budget carrier’s GTF engines, many of which were recalled for inspection last year.
The Hungarian airline was forced to cut its annual profit forecast in late April due to the problems. Net income for the year is now expected at between €350m to €370m (£300m to £317m), down from prior guidance of €350 to €450m.
Capacity was axed 10 per cent over the second half of last year as 45 neo aircraft were grounded.
The fall comes at a critical time for European carriers, which are prepping for what is expected to be another incredibly busy summer. Travel demand has yet to fall off after rebounding dramatically from Covid-era lows last year.
Wizz Air’s budget rival Ryanair, Europe’s biggest airline by passenger traffic, saw growth of eight per cent in April to 17.3m.
That was despite cancelling 1,040 flights due to the Israel-Gaza conflict and French ATC strikes, which impacted airlines despite last-minute cancellations.
Across the 12 months to May, passenger numbers at Wizz have grown significantly from 52m to 62m, up 18.6 per cent year-on-year.
Proportionally, Ryanair has reported less growth. Passenger numbers over the year rose nine per cent to 185m.