Wizz Air Holdings PLC (AIM:WIZZ), the European airline, said it had a load factor of 84.5% in December, representing a 9% increase on the same period in 2021.
However, according to analysts at Peel Hunt, its load factor came in below its expectations, which were at 90%, although the investment bank held its buy rating on the stock.
According to a statement, Wizz Air had a total capacity of 4.94mln in December, carrying 4.1mln passengers in total, representing a 58.4% increase on December 2021.
For the entirety of 2022, the airline had a capacity of 52.6mln, carrying 45.6mln passengers, more than double what it did in 2021.
In December, Wizz Air opened new routes from Italy to Saudi Arabia, including Milan to Jeddah and Rome to Riyadh, as well as starting flights from Austria to Saudi Arabia.
Wizz Air also announced expansions in Rome, Vienna, Warsaw, Tirana, Kutaisi, Sofia and Belgrade.
Additionally, it opened a base in Suceava, Romania, with the extra aircraft at all bases supporting new routes and increased frequencies in 2023.
Wizz Air added that it “continuously operates amongst the lowest CO2 emissions per passenger/km amongst all competitor airlines”.
In December, it produced 55.3 grams of CO2 per passenger/km, a 13% decrease compared to December 2021.