(Reuters) - Wizz Air ( WZZAF ) on Thursday posted a 33.2% drop in operating profit for the first half of the year, due to ongoing issues with engine inspections that grounded its Airbus planes and the impact of the Middle East conflict on operations.

The European budget carrier posted an operating profit of 349.2 million euros ($375.39 million) for the six months ended Sept. 30, compared with a profit of 522.9 million euros a year earlier.

($1 = 0.9302 euros)

(Reporting by Aatrayee Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan)