WIZZ Air could be about to enter the transatlantic market with plans to launch its first flights to America from the UK.
The budget airline currently operates as a low-cost carrier, offering flights from the UK to Europe and Africa.
However, it is now seeking approval to be able to fly in the US, applying for permission with the Department of Transportation (DOT).
The application filled on January 23, 2026 cites the Open Skies agreement of 2020 which allows airlines to request access to launch flights between the UK and the US.
Little else is known about what destinations this could include, as this could depend on route access and which routes work seasonally.
However if it gets the go-ahead, popular US destinations from the UK, especially for low-cost carriers, include New York, Miami and Orlando.
According to local media, they hope to start services as “soon as possible”.
The current longest flight operated by Wizz Air is London Gatwick to Jeddah, taking just under seven hours.
Wizz Air launched operations back in 2004, with subsidiaries including Wizz Air UK launching in 2017, and Wizz Air Malta.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi was axed last year.
The airline once even offered cheap flights from the UK to the Maldives, but these were axed back in 2022.
And Wizz Air is the latest low-cost carrier to attempt cheap flights to the US from the UK.
Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic currently flies from the UK to both New York and Orlando, with return flights under £300.
However, they scrapped the London Gatwick to Miami flight route last year.
Other airlines that attempted cheap transatlantic flights included WOW Air, which went bust in 2019.
And Norwegian, while still in operation, axed all of its US-UK routes in 2019.
One airline that will never fly transatlantic routes is Ryanair.
Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson previously said: “There are a couple of reasons – one is that Ryanair does 25-minute turnarounds and goes to a lot of uncongested airports in Europe, so we’re able to get extra turns on the aircraft.
“If you’re on the transatlantic route, even the major carriers can’t get an extra turn.”
He also cited the need for a business class cabin to justify the low fares of UK to US flights.
He finished by saying: “There’s no obvious part of our business model that is transferable from short-haul. Nobody has ever really cracked that yet.”
