Wizz Air has trimmed summer capacity growth amid infrastructure and supply chain issues.
The Hungarian budget carrier’s planned expansion of 30% is being pulled back to 25%.
The airline has 12 Pratt & Whitney GTF engines identified for inspections by the end of September.
Chief executive Josef Varadi said: ”This 5% adjustment aims to address continued infrastructure and supply chain limitations facing the industry, recently announced GTF engine anticipated inspections as well as give us an opportunity to drive better yield given the ongoing market constraints on capacity.”
But he made no mention in the update of the Civil Aviation Authority’s enforcement action against the carrier over record passenger complaints over its record in honouring the rights of passengers suffering delayed or cancelled flights.
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Wizz Air last week announced it signed a deed of undertaking with the UK aviation regulator.
In an update ahead of the quarterly results, the airline said: “As part of the agreement, Wizz Air committed to re-look at welfare claims it received following flight disruptions.
“This covers the expenses for replacement flight costs, transfers when replacement flights were via different airports, and care and assistance – typically hotel costs.”
The airline reported a profit of €61 million for the three months to June 30 against a loss of more than €450 million in the same period last year as passenger carrying rose by a quarter to 15.3 million.
The carrier said it was confident of delivering annual profits of €350-450 million based on the performance in the three months.
Varadi described summer as “going well operationally and from a revenue perspective”.
He added: “We have made significant progress against our main objectives of reinstating best in class profitability at the back of delivering high-capacity growth and improving operational metrics during the quarter.
“The security of our Airbus orderbook and prior operational adjustments helped us deliver a markedly improved performance for our customers, our people, and our shareholders.
“Our growth plans continue to be supported by our fleet delivery plan, with more seats coming online in the balance of this fiscal year.”
Wizz Air is on track to take delivery of 32 Airbus 321neo aircraft by end of the financial year.
Commenting on the interim results, Ruth Griffin, leisure partner at law firm Gowling WLG, said: “The past year has been challenging for the aviation sector and Wizz Air has been no exception, but the start of summer has seen the airline reach new heights with a significant increase in passenger numbers over June.
“Demand has been extremely strong since the end of the pandemic but the airline still faces strong headwinds with the millions in refunds it needs to pay-out to its passengers as well as the ongoing cost of living crisis meaning it has to contend with competitors to offer the best value for money on flights.
“However, Wizz Air is currently ahead of some of its competitors and has been making improvements on its service so there are fewer disruptions, including tackling issues with its app and customer service levels.
“The business is adding more planes and routes to its portfolio, allowing it to grow capacity and revenue, as well as introducing a subscription service for frequent flyers to encourage returning custom. As a result, shareholders will be confident with the direction the company is heading in and will be hopeful its turbulent months are behind it.”
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