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(Alliance News) - Budget airlines Ryanair Holdings PLC and Wizz Air Holdings PLC on Tuesday said passenger traffic improved in July from a year before, with Wizz Air seeing a larger jump in numbers.
The Dublin-based Ryanair said that it carried 18.7 million passengers in July, up 11% from 16.8 million a year prior. The load factor, however, was unchanged at 96%.
On a rolling 12-month basis, Ryanair said it carried 175.3 million customers, up 23% from 142.0 million the year before. The load factor improved to 94% from 87%.
The Irish airline also noted that it operated over 102,000 flights in July, however over 800 flights were cancelled due to third-party strikes.
Budapest-based rival Wizz Air said it carried 6.0 million passengers in July, representing a 27% increase compared to July 2022, at a load factor of 95% up from 89% a year ago.
On a rolling 12 months basis, Wizz Air carried 55.4 million passengers, reflecting a 45% rise from 38.1 million, at a load factor of 90%, up from 83%.
During the period, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi also launched its latest route to Erbil, the capital city of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, in a move to unlock travel opportunities for both residents and travellers in the United Arab Emirates.
Additionally, the Hungarian airline said carbon dioxide emissions in the month of July were up 25% to 523,996 tonnes from 418,290t during the same period a year ago.
Shares in Ryanair were up 2.8% at EUR15.99 each in Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, while Wizz Air shares were down 1.7% at 2,339.00 pence each in London.
By Sabrina Penty, Alliance News reporter
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