Ryanair, Wizz Air operate at a fifth of their capacity during November

Ryanair PLC (LON:RYA) and Wizz Air Holdings Plc (LON:WIZZ) flew only a fifth of their capacity during November as travel was impacted by lockdowns across Europe and rising COVID-19 infections. 

Ryanair saw the number of passengers plummet 82% to 2mln, bringing the total year to date down 60% to 61.4mln. 

READ: Ryanair shares are up with events after vaccine news, says UBS 

Similarly, Wizz Air’s capacity plunged 84.7% to 456,487, while seats were 79% lower at 669,139. 

The load factor was 68.2% compared to 92.8% seen last year. 

The budget carrier continued to invest in growing its network, and last month it announced three new domestic routes in Norway, bringing the total number of domestic routes in the country to 15. 

Also last month, Ryanair noted passenger confidence has been affected by recent quarantine and flight restrictions in central Europe, while the second half of the year will continue to be ‘hugely challenging’, so it expects higher losses than the after-tax deficit of €197mln posted in the six months to September.