Wizz Air plans to carry 20% more passengers this year than last by expanding its operations across the continent, however, markets in the former Yugoslavia, where Wizz Air is collectively the second largest airline, have not reaped the rewards so far. The low cost carrier has scheduled 16.260 flights from the region during the upcoming 2025 summer season, from March 30 until October 25, which is down 0.3% on the 2024 summer. Capacity will increase slightly due to the usage of larger aircraft on some routes, but capacity is set for a modest 0.6% increase, with 3.2 million seats on offer at the moment. Despite the airline recently announcing a string of new routes on a number of markets, only Macedonia will see the addition of new destinations in the former Yugoslavia, although this will not result in more flights. However, the carrier continues updating its schedule as it continues to take delivery of new aircraft, which could eventually result in more new routes.
In 2024, Wizz Air significantly decreased its operations due to issues with Pratt & Whitney-manufactured engines on certain Airbus A320neo-family aircraft. “I would describe 2024 as a stable year, albeit one marked by significant challenges from multiple fronts. Due to recalls issued by the engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, forty of our aircraft, representing 20% of our fleet, were grounded. Despite the challenges, we managed to carry 4% more passengers in 2024 compared to the previous year. Passenger numbers rose from 60 million to 63 million, all while operating at roughly the same capacity. This reflects an overall improvement in business productivity. Our financial performance was solid, and we held steady. However, this year is shaping up to be quite different”, Wizz Air’s CEO, Jozsef Varadi told Hungary’s “Turizmus” portal. He added, “Engine repairs used to take 90 to 100 days, but now they take 350 days due to a sudden surge in demand and a shortage of parts. This issue primarily impacts the newer, more environmentally friendly engines”.
Last year saw Wizz Air pull 1.2 million seats off markets in the former Yugoslavia. It was overtaken by Air Serbia as the largest carrier in the region, while Ryanair came within striking distance of surpassing its rival. “In 2024, Ryanair enjoyed a positional advantage that is now turning into a disadvantage for them. Last year, as mentioned earlier, we had to ground several of our aircraft due to engine overhauls, which limited our growth. However, the tide is shifting, and we are set to grow by 20% this year. Ryanair, on the other hand, is unlikely to see much growth due to supply issues, as Boeing is failing to deliver aircraft on schedule according to their orders. We are closely monitoring this evolving situation with great interest”. Across the markets of the former Yugoslavia, Ryanair is currently set to grow its number of flights by 12.4% and capacity by 12.6% this summer season.
Wizz Air capacity change by market, S25 vs S24
Crazy that they are adding new routes from SKP but will still have a big decline in capacity.
ReplyDeleteThey discontinued five routes I believe so they have a net of -2 routes. Plus some of these new routes don't start until the late summer.
Delete30 of Airbus a321neo idling on the ground is roughly 11.5 to 12.5 yearly capacity sitting on the ground. 🤯
DeleteRyanair will overtake them this year in ex-Yu
ReplyDeleteThe sooner the better. Ryanair is cheaper, more bold in expanding and its customer service is better. easyJet is the best of them three but Ryanair is miles ahead of Wizz.
DeleteWas a Wizz fan since 2004 or 2005 when they started flying from BUD, but in last 2 years they became complete mess in our region. Hope they get back on legs strongly, but fully agree that we need Ryan or EW more actively in region, especially in SKP and BEG.
DeleteWizz used to be much more ambitious in this region.
DeleteAnon 9:55 Sounds like a fan of your own valet, more than a Wizz fan.
DeleteNothing will change if Ryanair overtake them this year, only these statistics will change as FR will be above W6. In reality, Ryanair is dominating in places where Wizz Air has never been strong, such as Croatia, Montenegro and the only exception is Bosnia now. They dont operate in Skopje or Belgrade so its not a big deal if their numbers are better then those of WizzAir. In fact they dont even see the region like this, there is not ex-yu for them but Balkan so thigs are little different when u take into consideration the massive base of 13 planes of W6 in TIA, their presence as well as FR's presence in Bulgaria and the massive base of W6 in OTP which will have 19 planes as of this summer.
DeleteStill hoping they will announce some new routes this year from the region.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteWizz Air is still adjusting its schedule as it takes delivery of new aircraft, so there’s a chance we’ll see additional routes announced later in the year. But given their cautious approach in the region lately, any expansion might be limited. Fingers crossed for some surprises!
DeleteHow come such growth in B&H?
ReplyDeleteThey introduced Rome from Sarajevo recently. Plus I think they are increasing frequencies on some Tuzla and Banja Luka flights.
DeleteWasn't some guy here in the comments claiming they had 16% passenger growth last year. Now Varadi says it was just 4%.
ReplyDeleteCapacity growth maybe?
DeleteNo, he was claiming it's passenger growth.
DeleteLoadfactor growth?
DeleteJanuary 17, 2025
DeleteAnonymous09:41
W6 last year carried 62 million pax, 11 million more than it did in 2023.
So yes, it was false what he wrote.
Relying on information people write in the comments is not recommended in general.
DeleteIn BEG they have no incentive to grow while their fleet isn't sorted out because Ryanair has publicly said they have no plans to fly to BEG. So they have absolutely nothing to worry about. Same in Macedonia probably. They know the government won't go behind their back and try to attract Ryanair.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately correct.
DeleteExactly. But to be honest I can't blame them for that. If you have to prioritize, it is completely normal you are going to prioritize higher yielding western markets like Italy or in ex-Yu you put capacity somewhere like Bosnia where you used be number 1 until two years ago and now you are completely irrelevant because Ryanair ate your cake.
DeleteIt is actually Vinci to blame here as they were not capable enough to bring FR in BEG.
DeleteOr maybe simply the terms Ryanair is asking for are unreasonable. They are well known for their tactics where they require the lowest costs and big subsidies. Their CCO literally said they will launch flights from whichever airport they get the best offer.
DeleteVinci needs to listen to the ministry of transport who cares a lot more about shielding JU from competition than making travel more affordable for the flying public.
DeleteNo, they are most concerned about their finances and making money.
DeleteRyanair themselves called them "French profiteers". So they admitted openly they would not profit from Ryanair.
DeleteVINCI profits from FR on all other airports it operates but BEG is the exception! 😂
DeleteYes, different markets, different financial structures.
DeleteThe Ryanair troll is back...
Delete@09:39 how come all other markets of VINCI in Europe are fine for having FR but only BEG would be problematic? 😂😂😂
DeleteI already told you. And Ryanair has problems with many airports and markets.
Delete@09:45
DeleteRyanair has so many problems that last year managed to transport only 184 million passengers!
Yes, on certain markets they have issues. That's why they have removed 800,000 seats from Spain this summer and closed a number of bases in Germany.
Delete@Anon 09:45 I would like to hear what makes BEG so different that the rest of the airports Vinci runs in Europe.
DeleteHow come Vinci is able to make money having Ryanair as a customer in France, UK, Portugal, Hungary but not in Belgrade. What is so special about it?
@09:54
DeleteEveryone haves problems with Germany. Just ask U2.
And in Spain they are increasing again their capacity vs 2025
They just invested millions in the airport and need to make that money back first before offering Ryanair all sorts of concessions. Their share in Budapest is 20%. They took that 20% in Budapest airport in June 24 so I don't know how you know if they are making money there or not.
Delete^ give it up. The guy is obsessed with Ryanair and won't accept any alternative argument.
DeleteTheir biggest problem in Belgrade is Air Serbia. They were betting on beating them like they did Malev and Tarom. Meanwhile JU keeps on growing so no one is at a disadvantage.
Delete^^^
Delete😂😂😂
@09:56
DeleteFrance, UK and Portugal all have a number of secondary airports, all of which Serbia lacks. We have INI and KVO as alternatives to BEG. INI being the only realistic alternative to BEG hasn't had the best luck in getting more flights from ULCC's despite the peanuts being charged to the respective airlines, nor is the tourism offer adequate for foreigners despite the possibilities.
BUD for years after the collapse of MA was making losses despite handling triple the passengers of BEG. Budapest also has a massive inbound of tourists for which Belgrade isn't quite close in attracting.
Another thing to look at is the tourism and trade figures of all the above mentioned countries and from where their tourists originate from.
One further aspect to take into consideration is that BEG isn't really a market that has done well with 3 carriers competing on same or similar routes, however there have been excepetions. Unfortunately the exceptions is a tiny dot compared to the network on offer from BEG.
What new destinations can FR offer BEG that isn't already covered in enough mass for them to attain discounts that JU and Wizz get? And are those discounts enough for FR? And if FR is made an exception for special discounts, can other airlines demand the same? What is Vinci offering FR at their other airports that BEG isn't offering?
Having 20% of your fleet grounded is huge.
ReplyDeleteHaving 4% more pax with 20% less aircraft capacity is huge too.
DeleteYes, their LF must have improved quite a bit.
DeleteThere is a price to be paid when you favorise one airline over all other. Bravo Vinci and GoS!
ReplyDelete+1000
DeleteSadly VINCI is now preoccupied with Budapest and the GoS the last thing is currently busy with is the stagnation of BEG.
Record 8.3 million passengers in 2024.
DeleteWhich for a European country of our size is miniscule traffic.
DeleteIn 2023 it was even more miniature and the year before that and the year before that.
DeleteRecord passenger numbers at BEG but with disappointing results in H2.
DeleteBelgrade airport is not stagnating if it's setting new record numbers, and it is. It's called growth. Combined growth for 2023+2024 is significantly higher for BEG than for ZAG, for example. Post pandemic passenger growth in Serbia is higher than in most other countries in Europe, where some countries and airports still struggle to reach 2019 levels. BEG has 36% growth compared to 2019. BEG had only one long-haul destination when concession started. It now has three airlines offering 6 year-round long-haul destinations. For those lovers of doom&gloom at BEG, there are always cold facts to wake you up.
Delete^6 long-haul routes
DeleteNot good :(
ReplyDeleteIt would be really nice if they returned Luton and Charleroi flights to Ljubljana
ReplyDeleteAgree. I'm surprised they didn't capitalize at all on Adria's downfall.
Deletewith their current focus on larger markets and fleet challenges I highly doubt it. Would be nice though.
Deleteoh yes! I am still hurting.
DeleteSo happy they left Sarajevo and that Ryan jumped in instead.
ReplyDeleteMontenegro keeps winning!
ReplyDeleteWhere is the "Bravo Fraport" comment :D
DeleteW6 directs its capacity where it faces the most competition and is in danger of losing marketshare from other LCCs.
ReplyDeleteThankfully (for W6) BEG and SKP do not pose such risk.
Exactly
Delete+1
DeleteYou are right but if Wizz Air neglects these markets for too long, it might find itself playing catch up later on.
DeleteAdmin; great new update tot he visuals, but at least on pc I had to zoom in to 110% to get the proportions back up
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes, there are a few issues that will be sorted out during the day.
DeleteAdmin it sure looks much nicer than the old one.
DeleteGood job!
Thank you. As mentioned, there are some issues that still need to be fixed but they are being addressed and should hopefully be ironed out by the end of the day.
DeleteI'm using Brave as a browser and I have no issues.
DeleteEvery time I click at the article today (from the home page), full screen ad shows up. PLEASE don't do that to us
DeleteWould be great if we could reply directly to an already replied comment; but that's wishful thinking
Delete@11:18 why aren't you using an ad-clocker?
DeleteThe adds are quite annoying for a while. They take half a page for me and keep on popping up despite removing them.
DeleteThat has to be stopped. Using Chrome on mobile phone.
Otherwise, I like new visuals, quite modern.
I'm not sure about this featured article on top. Maybe it should be more highlighted or all articles from the sma day available there sliding left/rig
Why would anyone use Chrome on your mobile phone???
DeleteIt is the absolute worst browser and there's little you can do about the ads.
Aren't most of the people using Chrome on Android phones at least?!
DeleteWhich other browser is better and why?
They return to growth in this region. I'm not worried.
ReplyDeleteIn 2026?
DeletePossible in late summer this year or winter.
DeleteI really hope so.
DeleteDisappointing.
ReplyDeleteWizz Air keeps talking about growth, but it seems like the former Yugoslav markets are being left behind. Meanwhile, Ryanair is expanding aggressively. It’s going to be an interesting summer season
ReplyDelete3.2 million seats still isn’t bad, but it’s clear Wizz Air is no longer as dominant as it once was
DeleteA 0.6% capacity increase is barely anything. At this rate, Air Serbia and Ryanair will completely overtake Wizz in the Balkans.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they should focus on reliability instead of minimal growth.
DeleteJU should focus on surpassing Sky Express in the Balkans, then worry about Wizz.
Delete^ Yes, you are so right. Their worry should not be Wizz Air, which is their biggest competitor on the Serbian market and second largest airline on the Serbian market. Instead they should focus on Sky Express which has 1 weekly charter flight to Belgrade during the summer. Well done! The nonsense some people write here is astounding.
DeleteYou started the nonsense by claiming that JU might overtake Wizz in the Balkans!
Delete@11:46 Dont worry, Wizz Air will announce 10 new routes and increase capacity on 20 others and they will be back on the top again. Nothing unusual here, they can even open a base overnight if they want.
DeleteWizz used to have so much potential in the region, but now they seem stuck while Ryanair is pushing forward.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia overtaking Wizz in the region is something I didn’t expect a few years ago. I wonder if they’ll ever regain the top spot.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteAir Serbia, Lufthansa Group, KLM... will all slowly take away Wizz Air marketshare at BEG. They all seem to be growing so obviously it's a missed opportunity for W6.
ReplyDeleteIf Lufthansa can fill all those seats then makes you wonder why Wizz thinks they cant? They obviously can't compete with the rest.
Unfortunatelly Wizz is pretty safe in BEG dooing nothing. Air Serbia has it's own issues with fleet and staff and Ryan is nowhere near to start flights.
ReplyDeleteIf Belgrade doesnt bring in Ryanair or Easyjet as alternative it will have a hard landing this year.
ReplyDeleteAir Serbia has 140K additional seats for S25. Add fall, add other carrier increases and Belgrade will have another record year. Some people said in 2023 that BEG will have hard landing in 2024 due to airport congestion but they were completely wrong. Learn from their mistakes.
DeleteThey could look towards other LCCs too. Eurowings, Volotea, Vueling, Transavia...
DeleteNo LCC that would compete in markets already served by JU is welcome by the GoS,
DeleteLies. Eurowings has been in BEG for a long time. Transavia is launching new service to BEG in a couple of months. Vueling has been flying to BEG when there was no competitors but Wizz has lower prices and better schedule.
DeleteMaybe Wizz should focus less on PR statements and more on actually increasing flights.
ReplyDeleteWizz Air used to be the go-to airline for secondary cities, but now they seem uninterested.
ReplyDeleteCorrect. And I remember when Wizz Air was one of the most aggressive airlines in the region.
Deletelol how can they be interested when a good part of their fleet is stil grounded
DeleteSo 2025 will be another dud year for Wizz in the region.
ReplyDeleteNot in Bosnia, Kosovo and Montenegro.
DeleteYes in Bosnia too where two years ago they were the number one airline.
DeleteAnd everywhere else. They just reported EUR 241 million loss for the last three months.
DeleteThe last 3 months are traditionally loss making for the majority of airlines in the northern hemisphere.
DeleteFor the full year W6 made hundreds of millions of Euros in profit.
Stay informed please.
They foresaw this, obviously. Then why did they change their full year forecast from EUR 450 million to 125-175 million today? With another quarter like this they may be in the red again rather quickly. After all they managed to lose hundreds for millions/year for 2-3 consecutive years not so long ago. On top of all this they have a debt of EUR 5.1 billion which is getting higher and higher (increased with 350 million in the last quarter only). Stay informed, please.
DeleteWhat brings the grow in PRN? New route or just higher frequency ?
ReplyDelete