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Wizz Air bookings ‘moderate’ after start of year improvement

Wizz Air bookings have “moderated” after a year-on-year improvement reported in January.

The disclosure from the eastern and central European budget carrier came as it reported a 5.1% rise in carryings to 4.6 million passengers in February.

Seat capacity was up 3% year-on-year resulting in an improved load factor of 91.8%, up 1.8 percentage points.

The airline said: “The yield environment and booking profile in February and March remained positive but moderated compared to the January year-on-year improvement.”

However, Wizz Air noted it was observing “better than expected” revenue trends for the first quarter of its financial year.

Meanwhile, negotiations on engine selection “remain ongoing” but are seen as making positive progress as Wizz Air seeks “the best outcome for its operations and the group”.

The airline has suffered from aircraft groundings due to the need for engine inspections but agreed a two-year support and compensation agreement with manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in December.

The update came as rival Ryanair reported a 14% increase in February passengers to 12.6 million as it operated 71,360 flights during the month.

Last month’s performance gave Europe’s largest airline a rolling annual total of 198.8 million passengers, up 9% on the same period a year earlier.

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