Wizz Air posts €183m operating loss in Q1 amid 39% fuel cost surge
Central European budget operator lifts passenger numbers by a quarter during April-June period. Wizz Air fell to an operating loss of €183.3 million ($211.6 million) in the three months to June 2026 on fuel costs up 39% for the period. The Central European budget carrier increased revenues 6% to €1.5 billion in the first quarter of its financial year, which runs to March 2027. However, fuel costs over the same period jumped to €610 million, driving a 21% rise in the carrier's overall costs. As a result, Wizz slipped from an operating profit €27.5 million for its first quarter in 2025 to a loss of €183.3 million. Likewise, it posted a net loss of €198.2 million in the April-June period, compared with a €38.4 million profit a year ago. "The industry has been extremely volatile over the June quarter due to conflict in the Middle East, elevated fuel prices and changes in booking patterns," says Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi. He though flags "some notable success" in the quarter, including a 25% increase in passenger numbers to 21.2 million. Wizz last year refocused its network strategy to put more emphasis its core Central European and UK markets, reducing its stage lengths to improve aircraft utilisation and slowing its long-term capacity growth. That has been accentuated by the carrier redeploying capacity from the Middle East, primarily Israel, because of the Iran conflict. "We are focused on strengthening the core network, improving density and reallocating flying from longer-haul Middle Eastern operations into shorter European sectors," says Varadi. "This supports higher sector productivity, creates more attractive schedules for customers, improves network integrity and delivers incremental growth at a lower cost." The carrier offered little by way of full-year profit guidance, but Varadi says: “While we continue to see the build-up of forward bookings, the rest of the year is expected to present both industry challenges and strategic opportunities. "We will continue to manage the business for profitability while remaining ready to take advantage of market opportunities that may arise as supply and demand rebalance across Europe. support the long-term growth of Wizz Air."