Wizz Air Named Airline of the Year

Wizz Air has again, after 2020, won the Airline of the Year award at the Air Transport Awards, the company told MTI on Thursday.

The award was personally accepted by CEO József Váradi at the gala evening in Montreal, Canada on Wednesday, they wrote.

The Air Transport Awards annually honors outstanding performers in the air transport industry in several categories.

"Wizz Air is one of the fastest growing and most sustainable airlines in the world. Our network covers 1,000 routes to 55 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. We are committed to providing our passengers with the best possible flying experience at the lowest possible fares," the statement quoted József Váradi as saying.

Wizz Air's passenger traffic in 2022 reached a new record of 45.6 million, double the 2021 traffic and 15% higher than the pre-pandemic record. Last year, load factor rose to 86.7% from 75.2% in 2021.

In the first nine months of the fiscal year from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, passenger traffic rose to 38.9 million from 20.3 million a year earlier.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Robert Carey, the low-cost airline's chairman, predicted strong growth, with 67 million passengers expected in the 2023/2024 financial year.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose to EUR 215 million in the nine months between March and December last year from EUR 77.3 million the year before, while revenues rose to EUR 3.10 billion from EUR 1.28 billion in the same period.