Wizz Air enters 2026 with 1,000-route network

Wizz Air started 2026 with a rise in passengers as its route network expanded to 1,000 routes.

The eastern and central European budget airline reported 8.5% passenger growth in January over the same month last year.

The 5.35 million monthly total came as capacity rose by 10.5% to 6.34 million seats.

The monthly load factor fell by 1.6 percentage points year on year to 84.4%.

Network expansion saw the airline connecting 200 destinations in more than 50 countries in Europe and beyond across 1,000 routes.

Wizz Air also surpassed 500 million cumulative passengers in 21 years of operation. 

The carrier is now on track to welcome its next 500 million travellers within the next five years, supported by fleet growth from 231 aircraft to 334 by 2030.

Wizz Air signed a deal in the month with new generation travel solutions provider Paxport to support distribution via travel agents, OTAs, travel management companies and tour operators.