Wizz Air presses crisis advantage as easyJet pulls back

Wizz Air vowed to use the coronavirus crisis to win market share from rivals including easyJet, as the no-frills airlines both posted sharp falls in quarterly revenue. As most carriers cut fleets and networks, Hungary-based Wizz has been adding new bases and aircraft, with some delayed deliveries, as it presses its competitive advantage. While Wizz is “not immune” to the travel slump in the short term, CE Jozsef Varadi said Thursday, adding “the longer it goes, the better we will emerge” in competitive terms. Quarterly results from Wizz and easyJet came just as travel recovery hopes suffer new setbacks, with governments imposing new restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19 variants. At easyJet revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 30 fell by 88% to GBP165m, while it was down 77% to E149.9m at Wizz, which posted a similar decline in passenger numbers and a E115m net loss.<br/>