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(Alliance News) - Budget airlines Ryanair Holdings PLC and Wizz Air Holdings PLC on Tuesday said passenger traffic improved in June from a year before, with Wizz Air seeing a particularly large jump in numbers and load factor.
Dublin-based Ryanair said it carried 17.4 million passengers last month, up 9.4% from 15.9 million a year before and by 2.4% from 17.0 million in May. Load factor was 95%, unchanged from June 2022 but up slightly from 94% in May.
Ryanair noted that 900 flights were cancelled last month due to air traffic controller strikes, affecting about 160,000 passengers.
On a rolling 12-month basis to June, Ryanair said it carried 173.4 million passengers with a 94% load factor, up from 134.5 million with a 86% load factor the year before.
Smaller Budapest-based rival Wizz Air carried 5.3 million passengers in June, up 23% from 4.3 million a year before and 6.0% from 5.0 million in May. Wizz Air's planes were 92.2% full last month, up from 86.1% in June 2022 and 90.2% in May.
On a rolling 12-month basis to June, Wizz Air carried 60.5 million passengers with a 89.4% load factor, up from 44.4 million with a 81.8% load factor the year previous.
Wizz Air said it took delivery last month of its latest A321neo aircraft from Airbus SE. It said that it plans to have its entire fleet at London Luton Airport made up of A321neo planes by 2025, as part of its effort to reduce carbon emissions.
Wizz Air shares were up 0.3% at 2,782.00 pence in London early Tuesday. Ryanair shares were up 1.2% at EUR17.50 in Frankfurt.
By Tom Waite, Alliance News editor
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