Finance
Activist investor causeway capital raises stake in wizz air
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 6, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 6, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
Company
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 6, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 6, 2026
Causeway Capital raised its stake in Wizz Air to 5.04%, becoming one of its largest shareholders, as the airline warned of a €50 million hit to FY2026 profits from Middle East conflict pressures.
March 6 (Reuters) - Causeway Capital Management has increased its stake in Wizz Air to 5.04%, a regulatory filing showed on Friday, positioning the U.S.-based investor among the top shareholders of the European budget carrier.
Causeway, which previously held a 2.04% stake in Wizz Air, had boosted its holding on Wednesday, according to the filing.
Earlier in the week, the carrier had warned the ongoing Middle East conflict would likely dent its net profit for fiscal year 2026 by about 50 million euros ($58.01 million), piling onto pressures from engine-related groundings and softening demand.
Its shares have been on a steady slide since the conflict began, losing about 24% of its value this week and suffering their worst percentage drop since June last year. The stock closed down 5.1% at a record low of 927.5 pence on Friday.
Los Angeles-based Causeway said in its response to a Reuters query that it "doesn't comment publicly on the ownership stake in its holdings".
Earlier this year, Causeway, the largest shareholder in Britain's WH Smith, backed the retailer's decision to appoint former Balfour Beatty chief Leo Quinn as executive chair in a leadership overhaul.
In 2021, the investor had urged Rolls-Royce to refresh its board when it was one of the engine-maker's biggest shareholders.
Separately on Friday, Wizz Air said it had received permits to operate flights to the U.S. from the UK, opening doors to offer charter flights for European football teams and fans attending the soccer World Cup.
($1 = 0.8619 euros)
(Reporting by Nithyashree R B, Raechel Thankam Job and Sri Hari N S in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
Causeway Capital Management has increased its stake in Wizz Air to 5.04%.
Wizz Air's shares have been sliding due to the Middle East conflict, engine-related groundings, and softening demand.
Wizz Air warned the conflict may reduce its net profit for fiscal year 2026 by approximately 50 million euros.
Wizz Air received permits to operate flights to the U.S. from the UK, enabling charter flights for European football events.
Causeway Capital backed WH Smith’s executive chair appointment and previously called for a board refresh at Rolls-Royce.
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