Budget airlines achieve record passenger traffic in August

European budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air both broke passenger records during the peak travel month of August.

Ireland-based Ryanair carried 20.5 million passengers last month, which was an 8 per cent increase on August 2023 when total traffic reached 18.9 million.

Ryanair said that it operated around 111,800 flights in August, which achieved an overall load factor of 96 per cent – the same level as in August 2023.

Over the past 12 months, Ryanair has carried 192 million passengers, also an 8 per cent year-on-year, with a load factor of 94 per cent. 

Meanwhile, Wizz Air also achieved a record month in August with 6.2 million passengers flying with the Hungary-based carrier, despite having to ground some of its Airbus A321neo fleet for an ongoing programme of engine inspections.

This meant that Wizz was forced to cut seat capacity by 0.4 per cent in August compared with the same month in 2023. But an improved load factor of 95.4 per cent last month helped Wizz to increase overall passenger numbers by 1 per cent year-on-year.

Over the past 12 months, Wizz has increased total traffic by 9.6 per cent to 62.1 million passengers, despite the disruptions caused by the engine inspections.

Wizz also revealed that its new “All You Can Fly” membership scheme for last-minute bookings had sold out within 48 hours of its launch last month. 

The latest traffic figures from Ryanair and Wizz Air further illustrate the strength of the European aviation market after airline association IATA said demand reached an “all time high” during July.