Wizz Air UK, the British subsidiary of Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) seeking authorization to launch commercial flights between the United Kingdom and the United States in the near future.
The request, filed on January 23 by law firm Holland & Knight, covers both a temporary exemption and a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) under the Open Skies agreement signed between London and Washington in 2020.
According to documents submitted to the DOT, Wizz Air UK is seeking the right to operate scheduled and charter passenger and cargo services between points beyond the UK, via the UK and intermediate points, to the entire United States and beyond, “to the full extent permitted” under the bilateral agreement. The airline states that it intends to begin operations “as soon as possible,” though it has not yet disclosed which routes, launch dates, or aircraft types will be used for the planned services.
The initiative will logically rely on Wizz Air UK’s Airbus A321neo fleet, in particular its three new A321XLRs configured with 239 seats. These aircraft have a theoretical range of 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometers), more than sufficient to reach most of the U.S. East Coast from the UK. The airline also expects to receive eight additional A321XLRs, which would further strengthen its capacity to operate transatlantic routes.
Wizz Air UK notes that it initially plans to focus on passenger charter flights based on seasonal demand, while seeking regulatory flexibility to transition later to scheduled services without the need for a new, lengthy certification process.
Wizz Air had already filed a Foreign Air Carrier Permit request with the DOT in 2022, though at that time it only concerned cargo operations for its subsidiary Hungary Air Cargo.
In November, Wizz Air announced that it was reducing its overall A321XLR order from 47 to 11 aircraft (five of which had already been delivered at that time), reflecting its strategy to prioritize profitability and focus on its most lucrative operations.
