Wizz Air reduces capacity by 74% on main EX-YU markets

Wizz Air has warned of a tough winter ahead and expects for demand to begin recovering next spring. It comes as the low cost carrier cancelled over fifty routes across seven markets in the former Yugoslavia and decreased seat capacity by an average of 74%. CEO Jozsef Varadi said there are no plans to ground the fleet despite new lockdowns across Europe. While the next four to five months would be challenging, Mr Varadi said he saw light at the end of the tunnel from spring when the second wave of the virus eases. Wizz Air has so far withstood the pandemic better than some larger airlines. It has continued to add new routes in a number of markets and remains buoyed by its strong cash position and flexible business model. 

This winter season, Wizz Air has put 71.124 one-way seats on sale from Skopje, down 77% on the 2019/2020 winter. This is followed by Belgrade with 45.954 seats, down 66.9% and Tuzla with 29.886 seats on offer this winter, representing a decrease of 72.3%. These figures are highly likely to change as the airline continues to modify its schedule and route network each week due to a slump in demand and evolving travel restrictions across the continent. Despite plans to introduce new destinations from Pristina next month, the carrier’s overall capacity from the city has declined due to reduced frequencies on its existing services. It currently has 24.752 seats on offer from Kosovo, down 61.6%.

Wizz Air W20/21 one way seat capacity

Airport	One-way capacity	Change (%)
Skopje	71.124	▼ 77.0
Belgrade	45.954	▼ 66.9
Tuzla	29.886	▼ 72.3
Pristina	24.752	▼ 61.6
Niš	12.822	▼ 69.7
Ohrid	8.280	▼ 85.2
Podgorica	5.760	▼ 79.1

Wizz Air will see its market share based on frequency slump at its base in Skopje from 53.1% to 32% this winter season, which runs until March 28, 2021. In Belgrade it will be reduced to 3.9% compared to 7.1% last winter, while in Tuzla it remains the sole operating carrier. In Pristina, the share will decline from 13% to 7%, while in Podgorica it will decline 4.4 points from 7% to 2.6%. “It’s becoming increasingly clear that the industry as a whole will not recover to [2019 levels] any time soon”, Mr Varadi said. He added, “We expect conditions over winter to be particularly challenging with ongoing travel restrictions due to the pandemic as well as the seasonal drop in demand for travel. Notwithstanding the challenges that lie ahead of us during the remainder of this fiscal year, we have laid the foundation for a swift recovery. In addition to expanding into new markets, we intend to retain all our current staff base and thereby generate a head start for when demand returns”.