Ryanair and Wizz Air record record passenger numbers in August

Ryanair and Wizz Air achieved record passenger demand last month as people put aside cost-of-living pressures to enjoy holidays abroad.

A total of 20.5 million people travelled with Dublin-based Ryanair in August, an increase of 8 per cent on the same month in 2023.

Meanwhile, Wizz Air revealed that its customer levels rose 1 percent to 6.2 million in August, despite engine problems affecting capacity levels.

Aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney began recalling thousands of its geared turbofan engines last year amid concerns about contaminated metal parts.

Wizz Air founder and chief executive Joszef Varadi warned four months ago that engine problems could continue to plague the Hungarian firm for at least two years.

But while the issue has forced Wizz Air to temporarily ground some aircraft, it has still carried 62.1 million people over a rolling 12-month period, a year-on-year increase of 9.6 percent.

Ryanair carried 192 million passengers in the same period, compared with 177.4 million the previous year.

In July, Ryanair said it expected airfares to be “materially lower” this summer due to more “frugal” consumer behaviour.

More recently, its chief executive, Michael O’Leary, predicted that the company’s ticket prices would be 5 percent lower than in the peak July-September quarter.

He has also urged the new Labour government to scrap the Air Passenger Duty (APD) and the European Commission to improve air traffic control (ATC) services to help boost the aviation sector.

The outspoken boss said abolishing the APD would help Ryanair meet its target of increasing UK traffic to 65 million customers a year and creating 1,000 new jobs for UK pilots, cabin crew and engineers by 2030.

At the end of August, Ryanair announced four new routes to London – Dubrovnik (Croatia), Linz (Austria), Reggio (Italy) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – from London Stansted this coming winter.

Europe’s largest airline is also reportedly considering launching a package holiday business, although O’Leary has long opposed the idea.

Susannah Streeter, director of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Ryanair would “look to emulate the success of EasyJet” if it started offering all-inclusive holidays.

He added: “Targeting family and couples breaks may also be seen as a way to move away from large stag and hen parties and singles trips, given the increasing disruption that excessive alcohol has been causing for Ryanair.”

Ryanair shares rose 0.8 percent to 15.86 euros, while Wizz Air Holdings shares were down 0.85 percent at 12.77 pounds sterling by early Tuesday afternoon.