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Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling & Wizz Air — How Europe’s Low-Cost Carrier Performed in August

With an increasing number of vaccinated people and summer holidays, Europe's low-cost airlines saw a growing demand in August. So we checked the performance of Europe's biggest low-cost airlines. Here's the essential operations benchmark of Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling, and Wizz Air.

Many airlines increased their flight volume in August. With more people being vaccinated and the peak of summer holidays, demand looked better than in previous months. Therefore, we wanted to know how Europe’s biggest low-cost airlines performed in August. In this context, we selected Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling, and Wizz Air — and looked at the flight volume, their punctuality, and the number of cancellations. Here are the results!

Europe’s Low-Cost Airlines — Flight Volume Benchmark

Overall, Europe’s “big four” low-cost airlines operated almost 150,000 flights in August (148,516). That’s a growth rate of 22% compared to July. However, the growth rate between the four airlines differs vastly. While easyJet and Wizz Air recorded growth rates of 30%, Ryanair and Vueling reported 15%. However, worth mentioning that Ryanair already operates at a much higher volume.

When looking at the flight volume of the four airlines, Ryanair remains Europe’s biggest low-cost airline. In August, Ryanair operated more than 70,000 flights — more than any other airline in Europe. Due to immense growth, easyJet operated more than 30,000 flights for the first time since the pandemic hit the aviation industry. In August, the British low-cost airlines operated 36,000 flights. Wizz Air ranks fourth with a flight volume slightly below 24,000, whereas Vueling operated 18,100 flights.

Europe's low-cost airlines:  Ryanair - Flight Volume August 2021
Ryanair – Flight Volume August 2021
Europe's low-cost airlines:  easyJet - Flight Volume August 2021
easyJet – Flight Volume August 2021
Europe's low-cost airlines:  Wizz Air - Flight Volume August 2021
Wizz Air – Flight Volume August 2021
Europe's low-cost airlines:  Vueling - Flight Volume August 2021
Vueling – Flight Volume August 2021

Europe’s Low-Cost Airline — Punctuality Benchmark

Europe’s biggest low-cost airlines continued to deliver a solid on-time performance in August. While Wizz Air achieved the weakest result with average punctuality of 87.9% in August, Ryanair and easyJet achieved a punctuality level above 90%. Moreover, Vueling continued to deliver outstanding on-time performance, resulting in punctuality of 95.3%. Moreover, worth mentioning that all airlines operated above their annual average punctuality level. Accordingly, each of the low-cost carriers further enhanced its yearly average.

Europe's low-cost airlines:  Wizz Air - On-Time Performance August 2021
Ryanair – On-Time Performance August 2021
Europe's low-cost airlines: Vueling -On-Time Performance August 2021
Vueling – On-Time Performance August 2021
Europe's low-cost airlines:  Wizz Air -On-Time Performance August 2021
Wizz Air – On-Time Performance August 2021
Europe's low-cost airlines:  Vueling -On-Time Performance August 2021
Vueling – On-Time Performance August 2021

Europe’s Low-Cost Airline — Cancellation Benchmark

Many airlines would be jealous when looking at the cancellation rate of Europe’s biggest low-cost carriers. The only way to classify is by using the attributes “Excellent” and “Super-Excellent.” Let’s take a look at the overall numbers first. While operating almost 150,000 flights in August, the carrier had to cancel less than 80 flights. That’s definitely more than outstanding performance. While Vueling and Wizz Air canceled slightly more than 20 flights, Ryanair’s and easyJet’s number of cancellations are below 20.

Ryanair – Cancellation Rate August 2021
Vueling – Cancellation Rate August 2021
Wizz Air – Cancellation Rate August 2021
Vueling – Cancellation Rate August 2021

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Benjamin Walther

CEO, Frankfurt

Benjamin is Information Design's CEO and a proven content-maniac. Besides running a successful business and developing pioneering ideas, he's dedicated to writing blog posts and creating content.

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