Wizz Air confident of growth despite revising delivery expectations downwards
January 31, 2025
Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has expressed optimism for its future growth strategy as it looks to overcome the ongoing impact of GTF-related fleet groundings, with CEO Jozsef Varadi describing “the context of the business [as] totally different today than what it was a year ago”. However, with the peak of the Pratt & Whitney engine-related issues now abated, Airbus delivery delays will nevertheless continue to impact capacity.
Wizz Air ended the 2024 calendar year with a fleet of 226, up 14.7% (from 197 aircraft) year-on-year. Four A321neos were delivered during the quarter while two A320ceos were returned to their lessors. However, given Airbus’ revised delivery schedule, Wizz Air is now forecasting to grow its fleet from a forecast 230 (as of the end of March 2025) to 305 aircraft at the end of March 2028. This is 75 (53 A321neos and 22 A321xlrs) less than it had previously anticipated by this time. However, “we are regaining strength again through the supply of new aircraft,” explained Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Váradi, who described the airline’s confirmed aircraft orders as providing “a clear pathway for sustained growth”.
For the remainder of 2025, Wizz expects eight new A321neo deliveries (including its inaugural xlr), with a further four A320neos to exit the fleet. By the end of 2026 and 2027, Wizz intends its total fleet to stand at 265 and 281 units respectively.
Also tempering Wizz Air’s growth is ongoing issues of engine availability, with the carrier noting it has “continued to navigate the complexity imposed on its operations from the ongoing grounding of some 20% of its fleet, due to the well-documented GTF engine issue”.
Although possessing 226 aircraft in fleet as of 31 December 2024, only 183 of these were operating (with GTF engine inspections grounding 43). This operational total is just three more than at the end of 2023.
There is no change to GTF engine removal projections, with around 40 aircraft forecast to be grounded on average over the full year 2026. However, “while this issue will continue to drag… the impact on the business is going to be less and less,” elaborated Váradi. He added that overall impact may also change change “depending on current negotiations to select the engine for 177 A321neos” on order – a decision expected to be concluded by the end of this quarter.
Earlier this year, Wizz announced it expected to return to growth in 2026 having agreed a two-year support and compensation deal with GTF engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in late 2024. “The compensation package, which covers Wizz’s direct costs associated with the aircraft that have been grounded and those expected to be, is similar the levels of the previous agreement ruling during 2024,” confirmed Wizz.
Váradi concluded that “as we look ahead to 2026, we believe that we are at an important inflection point for the business as we transition to a sustained period of growth for the rest of the decade”
