Wizz Air has bled market share in Vienna even before its gradual exit
Between 2023 and H1 2025, Wizz Air's market share in Vienna shrank by 0.9%.
Wizz Air has announced that it would close its base in Vienna, Austria, citing a strategic review of its operations and fleet allocation. However, the airport’s data showed that the low-cost carrier had continuously bled market share between 2023 and H1 2025.
On September 10, 2025, Wizz Air announced that it would gradually close its base at Vienna Airport (VIE), saying that the decision was made “following a strategic review of its operations and fleet allocation.”
It would remove two aircraft from the base on October 26, 2025, with the remaining trio of Airbus A321neos ending operations at VIE on March 15, 2026. The low-cost carrier stated that the five aircraft have operated 28 routes to 20 countries, reflecting the strong position that it has achieved in the country.
“However, since the inception of Wizz Air’s Vienna base, airport costs and taxes have increased significantly.”
As such, with its strategic focus shifting to delivering low fares in its core markets in Central and Eastern Europe, where low-cost travel options have been enabled by cost discipline, flying from VIE “has become incompatible with the airline’s ultra-low cost business model.”
Mauro Peneda, the Managing Director of Wizz Air Malta, the airline’s subsidiary with an air operator’s certificate (AOC) in Malta, said that this was “a difficult, but necessary decision to safeguard the long-term competitiveness of our business.”
Peneda highlighted that the company will offer job opportunities across its network, including relocation and alternative role options, thanking its VIE-based employees for “their dedication.”
Wizz Air opened its base at VIE in 2018.
The low-cost carrier noted that it will continue offering travel options for its customers in Austria and the broader Central European region with its bases at Bratislava Airport (BTS) and Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD).
However, VIE’s data revealed that Wizz Air had steadily lost market share at the airport between 2023 and H1 2025. The low-cost carrier ended 2023 with a market share of 6.9%, carrying 2 million passengers, an increase of 26.9% year-on-year (YoY). In comparison, Ryanair and its Lauda Europe subsidiary had a market share of 20.2%, welcoming 5.9 million during the year.
Austrian Airlines’ market share at VIE in 2023 was 46.9%, with the country’s flag carrier transporting 13.8 million passengers.
By the end of 2024, Wizz Air, while it had managed to retain the third spot among the airlines at VIE, saw its market share drop to 6.4%. The low-cost carrier’s passenger numbers had contracted slightly compared to 2023 (-0.7% YoY).
Ryanair (including Lauda Europe) improved its position at the airport, expanding its market share to 20.9% after growing the number of travelers carried during the year to 6.6 million, up 11.6% YoY.
VIE’s H1 2025 statistics showed that the low-cost carrier’s market share was now 6%, compared to 21.2% and 44.4% of Ryanair/Lauda and Austrian Airlines, respectively.
Cirium’s Diio Mi showed that Wizz Air will continue reducing capacity at VIE during the second half of 2025, slashing the total six-month departures by 6.2% and removing more than 51,000 departing seats in comparison to the last six months of 2024.
