European discount airline Wizz Air wants to launch transatlantic flights.
The budget airline said in an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation on Jan. 23 that it would initially offer charter flights between the U.S. and the U.K. only through its U.K. subsidiary Wizz Air UK. However, the company seeks “flexibility to launch scheduled services in the future”.
Hungary-based Wizz Air was Europe’s third-largest airline by seats last year but, unlike rivals Ryanair and easyJet, it is little known across the Atlantic. The airline lacks a brash CEO like Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary, who recently succeeded Elon Musk, and the brand recognition of EasyJet, which Americans have seen on European vacations since the 1990s.
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But Waits has deep American roots. Launched in 2004, it is the European aviation brand of Phoenix-based private equity firm Indigo Partners, which also owns large stakes in US-based Frontier Airlines, South America’s JetSmart and Mexico’s Volaris.
If Wizz Air were to start transatlantic flights, the airline would have only one aircraft to fly those flights: the long-range single-aisle Airbus A321XLR, which has a compact 239-seat all-economy configuration that may not be the most comfortable for long-haul flights.
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According to its DOT application, UK-based Wizz Air operates three XLR aircraft and an additional 18 A321neo aircraft.
XLR can fly to destinations in the Northeastern United States from Wizz’s UK bases at London Gatwick (LGW) and London Luton (LTN).
Past attempts to introduce low-cost flights on single-aisle aircraft between the United States and Europe have failed. Icelandic discount airline Play Airlines shut down in September after trying to connect the two continents via Keflavik Airport (KEF). Before the COVID-19 pandemic, European budget carriers Norwegian Air and Wow Air both briefly offered cheap flights, only to either cancel flights or shut down entirely.
However, a new budget airline between the United States and Europe could create fresh competition at a time when major European airline groups are buying up many of their last independent rivals. Air France-KLM is taking control of Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa Group recently acquired Italy’s ITA Airways, and British Airways and Iberia owner International Airlines Group has also set its sights on TAP Portugal.
Despite its size, Wizz has its challenges. The company recently closed its Abu Dhabi-based subsidiary in a high-profile expansion into the Middle East. Problems with Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan engines have grounded dozens of aircraft; as of the end of September, 35 of its 240-strong Airbus A320 Family fleet were parked.
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