Wizz Air and Ryanair cut winter flights due to expensive fuel

Wizz Air and Ryanair are reducing their planned winter operations due to high jet fuel prices and geopolitical uncertainty. Both companies decided to cut some previously planned capacity despite passenger growth.

This was reported by the Polish outlet Rzeczpospolita. Wizz Air has reduced its planned seat capacity for the second half of its fiscal year by about 5%. The airline explained the decision by unstable geopolitical situation and fuel prices.

This concerns primarily the winter schedule. At the same time, demand for Wizz Air flights remains high: in August, the number of passengers carried by the company increased by almost 26% year-on-year, and the number of offered seats by about a quarter.

Ryanair went down a similar path earlier. Europe's largest low-cost carrier lowered its passenger traffic forecast for the current fiscal year from 216 million to 214 million passengers. The company explained this by a desire to reduce risks related to the portion of fuel costs that was not fixed in advance.

Ryanair stated that about 80% of the company's fuel needs until March 2030 are already hedged, but the rest remains vulnerable to high oil prices. Therefore, the carrier decided to limit loss-making winter flights from November to March.

The company estimates that the reduction of the program could cut traditional winter losses by approximately 70-100 million euros. At the same time, Ryanair does not abandon its growth plans for the summer season and expects an increase in traffic from April to October.

The decision of two major low-cost carriers means that the European aviation market enters the winter season with more cautious capacity plans. If high oil prices persist, Ryanair also foresees more noticeable ticket price increases on short European routes next season.

Sources: Rzeczpospolita, Ryanair