Wizz Air to cut capacity by further 5% this summer

In a trading update, Wizz said to avoid further cancellations and to "secure a more punctual operation", it expected to reduce its schedule by 5% compared with the plan it set out in June "to reduce the impact of ongoing external disruptions".

It now expects summer capacity growth, measured in available seat capacity (ASK), to be "around 35%" of its 2020 full-year.

Last month, Wizz chief executive Jozsef Varadi said: said: “At the start of F23 [12 months to 31 March 2023], we stand ready to deliver our largest ever summer flying programme and the fastest growth in the industry, enabled by more than 6,000 colleagues across the business.

"Our planned capacity growth for the first two quarters of F23 is over 30% and 40%, respectively, and for the year, we expect even stronger growth versus F20."

Despite this, Wizz still expects a "material operation profit" during its second-quarter (three months to 30 September) "as revenue and pricing momentum is expected to continue to improve".

Wizz plans to reveal its Q1 results on 27 July. In its Monday trading update, it said load factors "as of July" were exceeding 90%, adding the squeeze on capacity – coupled with strong demand from consumers over the summer – was ensuring a strong "fare environment".