With much discussion about LCCs following the recent demise of Spirit Airlines, this week's #FlightFriday looks at how the three large low-cost airline groups in Europe have been faring since 2023.
Ryanair and Ryanair UK, Buzz, Malta Air, and Lauda Europe, peak at over 100,000 flights in the northern hemisphere summer months, with peaks in August 2025 that are 2% higher than in the same month in 2023.
April 2026 figures are up almost 5% compared to April 2023, suggesting an optimistic outlook for the forthcoming summer season. This increase has been aided by final deliveries of the Boeing 737-8200 to the Ryanair fleet. They will be joined by 737-10s later in the decade.
The EasyJet group is the second largest collective of LCC AOCs in Europe, operating about half the number of flights that Ryanair does overall. EasyJet Group also operated 2% more flights in summer 2025 compared to 2023; however, in April 2026, the number of flights was down 2% compared to April 2023.
The Wizz Air group has seen an expansion in fleet, leading to double-digit growth in summer 2025, and flights are up a quarter in April 2026 compared to 2023. The closure of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, and the integration of its former fleet into the wider Wizz network, has aided the monthly flight total, leading to growth of the European operators that comprise the Wizz Air group.
This article was put together using data from Aviation Week’s Tracked Aircraft Utilization tool.
Related Content
