Wizz Air aims to become the second largest airline in Italy

Wizz Air is preparing for the cold winter by forecasting a drop in revenues after having made hay in the first six months of the financial year that ended in September with results that exceeded analysts' expectations: operating profit stood at €439.2 million (+25.8%) and net profit rose 2.6% to €323.5 million. Passengers carried amounted to 36.5 million, up 9.8 per cent, with a turnover of EUR 3.3 billion (+9 per cent), almost half of which was accounted for by ancillary revenues from baggage, seat reservations, and onboard shopping.

On the stock market, the share rose 16% after the publication of the half-year results, then fell back and closed at +9%, but since the beginning of the year it has been negative by 20%. The company said that to cope with the winter challenges it will reduce planned capacity in the short term to maintain 'stable growth'.

Despite the reduction in capacity, CEO Josef Varadi said during a call with analysts that he is focusing growth mainly in Central and Eastern Europe, the UK, and Italy. Just in Italy, Varadi said that in 2026 he plans to grow to become Italy's second largest airline, increasing capacity in the country without giving further details. According to Enac data, in 2024 the first company by traffic in Italy was Ryanair with 57.8 million passengers, second Ita Airways with 18,089 passengers carried, and third Wizz Air with 17,797 million passengers. Also in 2024, Italy was the third market for capacity offered by the Hungarian low-cost company, according to the Fact Book 2025 of the University of Bergamo, behind the United Kingdom and Spain.

Meanwhile, Wizz Air has postponed the delivery of 88 Airbus aircraft from 2030 to 2033, as the group aims to reduce costs and boost profits. In recent years, the airline has struggled to recover its earnings after a series of disappointing quarters. The greatest difficulties have been attributed to the problem with Pratt & Whitney engines that has forced the company's aircraft to ground: at the end of September there were 35 aircraft parked, up from 41 in June. A problem that has been dragging on for years and whose resolution, according to the low-cost company, is not expected before the end of 2027. During the year, Wizz Air also had to face geopolitical challenges in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, which led it to close its base in Abu Dhabi.