European low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air both broke passenger traffic records during August, a peak travel period.
Irish airline Ryanair carried 20.5 million passengers last month, an 8% increase on August 2023, when total traffic reached 18.9 million.
Ryanair said it operated around 111,800 flights in August, achieving an overall load factor of 96% – the same level as in August 2023.
Over the last 12 months, Ryanair carried 192 million passengers, an increase of 8% on the previous year, with a load factor of 94%.
Meanwhile, Wizz Air also had a record month in August with 6.2 million passengers flying with the Hungary-based airline, despite having to ground part of its Airbus A321neo fleet for a period of time. continuous engine inspection program.
This means Wizz was forced to reduce its seat capacity by 0.4% in August compared to the same month in 2023. But an improved load factor of 95.4% last month helped Wizz increase total passengers by 1% year-on-year.
Over the past 12 months, Wizz has increased its total traffic by 9.6% to 62.1 million passengers, despite disruptions caused by engine inspections.
Wizz also revealed that its New “All You Can Fly” Membership Program Last-minute bookings sold out within 48 hours of its launch last month.
The latest traffic figures from Ryanair and Wizz Air further illustrate the strength of the European aviation market after airline association IATA said demand reached a “record level” in July.
