Cheaper Wizz Air flights coming to the UK as seat capacity surges
Key Points
- Wizz Air is growing seat capacity 25% year-on-year between April and June 2026, with high-twenties percent growth expected from July to September.
- The airline forecasts unit revenue will fall by a mid-to-high single digit percentage this quarter, pointing to lower fares for passengers.
- Capacity suspended in the Middle East has been redeployed to summer routes in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Albania, with extra aircraft at the London base.
- Grounded aircraft from GTF engine inspections fell from 42 to 30 over the year, now at 24, with zero expected by the end of 2027.
- Wizz Air carried a record 69.7 million passengers but net profit fell 99.4% to €1.3 million.
Wizz Air expects fares to fall over the coming months as it adds significantly more seats across its network, including from its London base.
The low-cost carrier said in its full-year results on Wednesday that seat capacity will grow 25% year-on-year in the April to June quarter, with growth in the high twenties percent expected between July and September.
At the same time, the airline forecast that revenue per available seat kilometre (RASK), a key measure of how much it earns per seat flown, will fall by a mid-to-high single digit percentage in the first quarter before flattening out in the second.
In practical terms, Wizz Air is putting far more seats on sale while expecting to earn less for each one, which typically translates into lower fares for passengers booking travel through the summer.
The capacity surge comes as the airline recovers aircraft grounded by Pratt & Whitney GTF engine inspections. Wizz Air had 30 aircraft out of service at the end of March 2026, down from 42 a year earlier, and said the figure had fallen to 24 by early June. It expects groundings to reach zero by the end of 2027.
Wizz Air is also redirecting capacity towards routes popular with UK holidaymakers. After suspending its Middle East flights following the outbreak of the Iran conflict in late February, the airline redeployed most of that capacity to summer destinations in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Albania.
The airline added aircraft to its London base during the year, alongside bases in Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples and Catania, and recently announced new bases in Palermo and Turin.
Wizz Air resumed flights to Tel Aviv from most of its central and eastern European bases on 28 May.
The expansion follows a difficult year for the carrier’s bottom line. Wizz Air carried a record 69.7 million passengers in the 12 months to 31 March 2026, up 10% on the previous year, with revenue rising 8% to €5.7 billion.
However, net profit collapsed 99.4% to €1.3 million, down from €213.9 million the year before, as higher maintenance and depreciation costs and the impact of Middle East route cancellations weighed on earnings.
The airline said the Iran conflict risked a roughly €50 million hit to earnings, although fuel hedges put in place before the war largely offset the damage.
Wizz Air also reported improved reliability, with better on-time performance and flight disruption costs falling by around €30 million year-on-year.
The airline declined to give full-year guidance for its 2027 financial year, citing limited visibility and uncertainty around the ongoing conflict in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Demand for the carrier’s All You Can Fly subscription product and reserved seating also grew year-on-year, the airline said.
