Ryanair vs Wizz Air war begins for Europe?

Alicja Wojcik-Golebiowska, the CEE & Baltics country manager of Ryanair, said in an interview that they would like at least 50 percent growth in East and Central Europe. Is that the start of a Ryanair vs Wizz Air war? Or did the two airlines agree to distribute the market by Ryanair moving to CE Europe and Wizz Air gaining good positions in the Middle East and Asia?

According to Reuters, Ryanair would dominate “in a less-developed market also targeted by Wizz Air”. “We want to focus very much on this region,” Alicja Wojcik-Golebiowska, the CEE and Baltics country manager for Ryanair, highlighted. Poland has been a hub for the Irish low-cost airline, but they would like to double focus on other countries in the region. She mentioned especially Spain, Italy and Poland.

The main competitor in that region is the Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air. For example, they announced new flights connecting Tirana (Albania) with Greek, Spanish, Italian and British cities in June.

Ryanair would like to beat Wizz Air by being punctual, offering tickets for a better price, more routes, and doing their best when it comes to delays and cancellations. They want to gain a dominant position in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

Okosutas.hu, a Hungarian travel news outlet, recalled that Ryanair’s puchase of 300 new Boeing jets is less ambitious than Wizz’s 355. Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, said in an interview that Wizz Air moved to the Middle East because it cannot compete with Ryanair face-to-face. Wizz Air has established multiple routes to and from Middle Eastern cities recently. Moreover, the company made Abu Dhabi one of its most important hubs. Wizz CEO József Váradi said in June that they want to expand in the region and would double their local fleet. He did not mention such plans concerning Europe.

Because of the Hungarian government’s departure tax, Ryanair has not expanded in Hungary since 2022. Meanwhile, Wizz launched new flights and has not cancelled any for a year. In Budapest, Ryanair was the market leader in 2022. However, this year, Wizz preceded it concerning the number of flights. As a result, Okosutas wrote that Ryanair will expand in the neighbouring countries, while Wizz will retain its leading position in Hungary. We wrote HERE about a new direct flight connecting Budapest with a Middle Eastern capital. You can find our article about Qatari investors buying Budapest Airport HERE.