Wizz Air Cuts Gatwick Flights 

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air is scaling back its operations at London Gatwick Airport as high operating fees and poorly timed slot allocations continue to hurt performance. The airline has confirmed plans to shift part of its capacity to London Luton Airport in an effort to boost profitability.

CEO József Váradi said the financial pressure at Gatwick has become unsustainable:

“Gatwick is expensive and we have been operating an inferior set of slots there. We believe we can enhance financial performance by operating that capacity from Luton.”

Capacity Shift: More Aircraft in Luton, Fewer in Gatwick

As part of the network overhaul, Wizz Air will move one aircraft from Gatwick to Luton, increasing Luton’s fleet to 13 jets while Gatwick’s fleet drops to seven.

Váradi emphasized the importance of adapting to changing market conditions:

“Circumstances change and you have to take action. You should always be biased toward bases that give you the most profitability.”

Gatwick’s Congestion Keeps Costs High

Gatwick has operated near full capacity for years, limiting competition and keeping airport fees elevated.

A planned £2.2 billion project to convert an emergency runway into a second operational runway could eventually double passenger numbers, but the upgrade is not expected to be completed until the 2030s.

Despite the reductions, Wizz Air insists it is not leaving Gatwick entirely.

“The base will be optimised,” Váradi said. “We are simply more financially efficient in Luton.”

He also dismissed speculation that the move was linked to Jet2’s plan to station seven aircraft at Gatwick from next year:

“Gatwick is stuck. Slots are so constrained that no newcomer can make any significant impact. Jet2 will be very sub-scale versus the established players.”

Wizz Air Faces Multiple Financial Pressures

The airline has been navigating a series of major setbacks:

• The war in Ukraine has disrupted several of Wizz Air’s key routes.
• A global recall of faulty Pratt & Whitney engines has grounded up to 45 aircraft at a time.

In response, the carrier has adopted aggressive cost-cutting, including shutting down its Abu Dhabi subsidiary in July and announcing the closure of its Vienna base due to rising airport costs and taxes.

Vienna Shutdown to Impact UK Passengers

Earlier this month, Wizz Air confirmed that it will end all flights to Vienna following a strategic review.

This decision means:

• The twice-daily Gatwick–Vienna route will drop to one flight this winter.
• All services will stop by March 2026.

The airline stated on X:

“We are ceasing operations in Vienna. After a strategic review, we are gradually closing our base there.”

Routes to Bilbao and London Gatwick from Vienna will end on 26 October 2025, with the remaining flights ending on 15 March 2026.