Ryanair and Wizz Air passenger numbers grow in December despite disruption

Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air both saw growing numbers of passengers in December, despite disruption to UK flights over the Christmas period.

Ryanair carried 13.6 million passengers in December, up 8% on the same period last year.

Wizz Air, meanwhile, carried 5.1 million passengers, up 1.9% year-on-year.

It comes after disruption to flights over the Christmas period at several major UK airports.

Stansted, which is Ryanair’s main airport in the UK, suffered disruption because of foggy conditions.

And Gatwick airport suffered more than four days of fog-related flight disruptions in the week between Christmas and New Year.

Ryanair said it operated more than 77,000 flights in December, with a load factor – a metric used to indicate how full flights are – of 92%.

It means the Irish airline carried 197.2 million passengers for the whole of 2024, up 8% on 2023.

Despite rising passenger numbers, airlines have seen average fares decline of late, amid pressure on consumer spending.

Ryanair said in November that its average air fare declined by a 10th in 2024, which hit its profits.

Higher interest rates and efforts to offset higher living costs among customers have meant airlines have been forced to drop prices.

Wizz Air’s rolling total for the year came to 62.7 million passengers, up 3.9% on the previous year.