Budget carrier Wizz Air warned it would post a loss in 2022 unless Covid travel restrictions were lifted permanently as it reported a 576m net loss for the year on the back of plunging revenue and passenger numbers.
The loss compared with a profit of 281m a year ago, the carrier said on Wednesday. Revenue fell 73.2% to 739m as passenger numbers slumped 74.6% to 10m.
Hungary-based Wizz said it expected to fly around 30% of our capacity in the first quarter of the current year and was resuming all cash contributing flying subject to government imposed restrictions.
“Furthermore, unless we see an accelerated and permanent lifting of restrictions we expect a reported net loss during 2022. For 2023 we see a strong trading environment and we plan to operate our full capacity,” said chief executive József Váradi.
The company added that it carried 833,000 passengers last month, compared with 207,000 a year ago at the height of the pandemic’s first wave. The load factor was up 4.9 percentage points to 66.1%.
