Low-fare airline carrier Wizz Air reported a 100% increase in passenger count in Romania in first quarter, up to 313,000 from 153,000 in prior-year period.
The average passenger load factor at the low-cost carrier stood at 85%, similar to a year earlier. “One of the most popular destinations were Rome, London, Barcelona, Brussels, Dortmund and Valencia. An increasing number of Romanians come to Germany and Spain to work or continue studies. IT would be natural for these destinations to be the main growth drivers, with the vast majority of Romanians from abroad returning in the country for Easter mini-break”, Natasa Kazmer, Communication and PR manager at Wizz Air.
The number of passengers carried in Easter period stood at 13,000, double from prior-year period. The economic crisis and devaluation of the leu currency was the main problems Wizz Air had to deal with in first three quarters of the year.
“Our company is not immune to the international crisis; the sharp depreciation of the local currency (30% from Q1, 2008) has exerted pressure on our financial results, as our tariffs remained unchanged. In this period, passengers are more prudent when it comes to prices”, representative of Wizz Air said.
In these circumstances, Wizz Air is the only low-fare carrier to book such a growth in such a short time, by doubling its transport capacity in first quarter this year, as the competitors hardly manage to stay afloat.
