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Wizz Air ( WZZAF ) delays 88 Airbus jets to 2033, cuts long-haul

orders

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Move comes as airline scrambles to cut costs

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Wizz Air's ( WZZAF ) orderbook remains at 273 planes despite changes

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Wizz Air ( WZZAF ) to report first-half results on November 13

(Adds details in paragraph 4, background Wizz's performance in

paragraph 2 and 7)

By Yadarisa Shabong and Raechel Thankam Job

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Wizz Air ( WZZAF ) said on Friday it

had delayed taking the deliveries of 88 Airbus jets to

fiscal year 2033, from 2030, and reduced its commitment to

long-haul jets as the budget airline seeks to cut costs and

revive profits.

The low-cost carrier

has been under pressure to shore up margins after a

turbulent year marked by

profit

shortfalls due to groundings of its Airbus jets. It has

retreated from underperforming markets such as Abu Dhabi and

Vienna.

The airline said it has agreed with the aircraft maker to

convert orders for 36 A321XLR long-range jets to shorter-range

smaller A321neo models, reducing its total A321XLR commitment to

11 aircraft from 47 earlier.

The smaller aircraft will limit the airline's seat capacity

and help reign in costs.

"This revised agreement adjusts the delivery schedule to

align with a more sustainable and profitable capacity growth

trajectory", it said in a statement.

On Friday, it kept its overall orderbook of 273 planes

unchanged and said its fleet would be entirely composed of

fuel-efficient neo-generation aircraft by 2029.

Wizz had 41 aircraft grounded due to defects in

RTX-owned Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines as of June 30.

It is scheduled to report first-half results on November

13. Its shares were flat in early Friday trade.