Wizz Air closes the year with profits of EUR 213 million (-41%). Crashes on the stock exchange

Low-cost airline Wizz Air plummeted 23.5 per cent on the stock market after publishing results for the 2025 financial year ended in March with net profits down 41 per cent to €213.9m from €365.9m last year, missing its target of €250-300m. Wizz had lowered its profit forecast for the fiscal year 2026 from EUR 350 million to EUR 400 million due to engine maintenance problems. A downward spiral that does not allow the carrier to set guidance for the new financial year.

The only indication for the current year is the forecast of an increase in revenue after having closed 2025 with turnover up by 3.8% to EUR 5.267.6 billion and 63.4 million passengers carried 2% more than the previous year. Passenger revenue increased by 4% to EUR 2.9. billion while ancillary revenue (baggage, selected seats and meals) rose by 3.6% to EUR 2.3 billion, the latter accounting for 44% of total revenue. "Wizz Air is today a more resilient company. Despite an unproductive ground fleet, we have closed a positive balance for the second year in a row," commented CEO József Váradi, in a note. "For two years we have been operating in difficult circumstances, with a reduced fleet just as demand outstripped supply.

The difficult situation of aircraft on the ground due to engine problems on its A321neo aircraft continues to have an impact on the company's results, which at the beginning of May still reported 37 aircraft parked, a situation that will continue at least until the end of the year. Also weighing on the company's results were the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. The carrier has said it is ready to resume flights to Ukraine when the conditions are right and expects at least a pool of 15 million passengers in three years.

The problem of grounded aircraft is crucial for the low-cost airline at a time when demand continues to be strong: the carrier has made the choice not to reduce its network due to the lack of aircraft, but to maintain supply by leasing aircraft but increasing costs. Wizz currently has a fleet of 231 aircraft and an order book of 300 carriers. In the next 12 months it expects 42 A321neo and 8 Airbus A321XLR aircraft from Airbus.