Wizz Air shifts Gatwick flights to Luton amid escalating costs and slot constraints

Wizz Air is set to curtail the number of flights it operates from Gatwick Airport, a move prompted by persistent cost pressures and a challenging slot allocation environment. József Váradi, chief executive of the Budapest-based airline, stated that operating from Britain’s second-busiest airport has become unviable due to high fees and suboptimal flight times. The airline now plans to redeploy a portion of its fleet to Luton, citing improved financial performance at the London hub.

Mr Váradi highlighted that Gatwick’s expense structure and inefficient departure slots were undermining profitability, contrasting this with Luton’s more favourable operating conditions. Initially, Wizz will transfer a single aircraft, with a broader fleet adjustment expected to follow, reducing Gatwick’s stationed aircraft to seven and increasing Luton’s to thirteen.

The decision aligns with Wizz Air’s Europe-wide strategy to streamline costs. The airline has faced considerable strain from multiple directions, including the ongoing impact of the war in Ukraine disrupting key markets and a global recall of Pratt & Whitney engines which has grounded up to forty-five planes at a time. The firm has responded by closing its Abu Dhabi offshoot, withdrawing its Vienna base, and pursuing a robust cost-cutting agenda.

Mr Váradi clarified that Wizz Air does not intend to withdraw entirely from Gatwick. Instead, the base will be optimised to reflect shifting market priorities. He commented on the difficulties of securing growth at Gatwick, an airport nearing full capacity, ahead of the planned conversion of an emergency runway into a second full runway in the 2030s.

Intensifying competition has presented further complexities. While Jet2 is set to establish a presence at Gatwick with a seven-aircraft base next year, Mr Váradi suggested that entrenched slot restrictions will limit its impact relative to long-established carriers.

Although Wizz Air enjoyed a recent boost in share price following robust summer earnings, the chief executive anticipates a challenging winter; sluggish traffic and delays in new aircraft deliveries will oblige the airline to idle fifteen planes, compounding the broader fleet disruptions caused by engine repairs.