October 2, 2026 — Wizz Air (W6) carried 7.78 million passengers in September, up 24%, but is flying into a winter in which it has cut planned capacity by 5%.
What happened
Wizz Air’s September traffic report, published today, shows seats up 25.3% year on year and passengers up 24.2%. Because seats grew faster than passengers, the load factor slipped 0.8 points to 92.0%. The airline put the dip down to stronger pricing.
The growth comes just before a pullback. Wizz has trimmed its planned capacity for the second half of its financial year by 5%, citing geopolitical uncertainty and fuel costs. FlightGlobal reports the airline still aims to operate 335 Airbus aircraft by fiscal 2030.
The numbers
| Measure | September 2026 | September 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 7.78 million | 6.27 million | +24.2% |
| Seats | 8.46 million | 6.75 million | +25.3% |
| Load factor | 92.0% | 92.8% | -0.8 pts |
| Rolling 12-month passengers | 79.33 million | 66.65 million | +19% |
Which routes and bases lose flights in the 5% cut: TBA.
What it means for non-revs
- Loads are a touch softer than last year, but still above 90%. Midweek and off-peak flights remain the realistic standby targets.
- Fewer winter seats than planned. A 5% trim means some frequencies will thin out. Recheck schedules before you plan a winter trip around a specific Wizz flight.
- For Wizz crew and staff, the cut is to planned growth, not to today’s flying. No base closures have been announced with it.
Sources
- RTTNews — Wizz Air Sept Passenger Traffic Up 24%; Load Factor Drops
- FlightGlobal — Wizz Air capacity up more than 25% in September ahead of second-half cuts
- Yahoo Finance UK — Ryanair reveals 1,000 flights cancelled last month amid UK air traffic chaos
Get NonRev Travel News by email
Airline, airport, cruise and travel-warning news for airline employees and retirees. Free.
Subscribe free
