FLIGHT BOOKINGS UP AGAIN FOR RYANAIR AND WIZZ

LOW-COST airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air reported bumper passenger numbers again for November, despite the impact of the conflict in Israel and Gaza on their operations.

Wizz flew 4.8 million passengers during the month, up 29% on November 2022, though its load factor remained steady at 88%. The FTSE 250 airline has suspended all flights to and from Israel until 2024 but “continues to monitor the situation on the ground closely, and stands ready to redeploy capacity should conditions stabilise”.

Ryanair reported slower growth, but still flew 11.7 million passengers, up 4%, with its flights 92% full. The Irish carrier cancelled 960 flights because of the conflict, about 1.5% of its total journeys last month.