Wizz Air Posts €213.9M Profit Amid Engine Woes and Challenging Market

Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air reported a net profit of €213.9 million for its fiscal year ending in 2025, marking a 41.5% decline compared to the previous year, as persistent operational challenges weighed on performance.

The low-cost carrier, which also recorded a comprehensive profit of €225.8 million—below its earlier guidance of €250 million to €300 million—faced multiple setbacks, including the prolonged grounding of dozens of aircraft due to engine issues.

Despite the profit drop, Wizz Air delivered record passenger traffic, serving 63.4 million travellers over the 12-month period. Total revenue rose 3.8% year-on-year to €5.3 billion, while EBITDA fell to €1.1 billion, down €58.9 million from the previous fiscal year.

Chief Executive Officer József Váradi struck a tone of cautious optimism in the company’s earnings release, describing the year with two key themes: “resilience and transformation.”

“In an environment where rare challenges have become recurrent, Wizz Air has evolved structurally, embedding increased flexibility into our standard operating model,” said Váradi.

One of the most significant obstacles the airline faced was the grounding of part of its Airbus fleet due to issues with Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan (GTF) engines. As of the end of the fiscal year, 42 aircraft were out of service because of mandatory inspections, in addition to three planes grounded in Ukraine. The company expects this number to drop to around 34 aircraft by the end of the first half of the next fiscal year.

“Despite the unproductivity of a grounded fleet, we successfully delivered a second consecutive year of profitability,” Váradi said. “We now have over a year of experience operating under these unique conditions—circumstances most airlines never face when demand exceeds supply.”

However, markets reacted negatively to the results. Wizz Air shares fell approximately 23.5% in early trading on Wednesday, reflecting investor concerns over ongoing capacity constraints and missed financial targets.

Looking ahead, Wizz Air says it remains focused on maintaining operational efficiency and growing its footprint across Europe and key neighbouring regions. The company continues to view demand as strong, despite the short-term pressures caused by equipment-related disruptions and geopolitical instability.