Jan 26 (Reuters) – Budget carrier Wizz Air has sought U.S. approval to operate flights between the UK and the United States, seeking to tap the lucrative transatlantic market after scaling back its Middle East expansion plans last year.
The airline’s UK subsidiary has petitioned the U.S. Department of Transportation for a foreign air carrier permit to operate flights between the two countries “as soon as possible,” a filing showed on Friday.
Wizz Air UK was seeking the permission to launch passenger services under the 2020 Air Transport Agreement between the two countries, known as the Open Skies Agreement.
This is the second attempt by the carrier to enter the U.S. markets, after its Hungary operations applied for a foreign air carrier permit to operate all-cargo flights to the U.S. in 2022.
The carrier declined to comment. The U.S. DoT did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
US FOCUS AFTER MIDDLE EAST RETREAT
As global tourism spending rises, Wizz’s low‑cost model is well-placed to benefit from Europeans’ growing interest in U.S. cities such as Nashville and Boise.
The trend follows immigration crackdowns and rising trade tensions under the Trump administration which have slowed travel to traditional tourism hotspots in the world’s largest travel economy.
Businesses are also banking on the upcoming soccer World Cup to boost travel to the U.S.
Wizz Air said it initially intended to conduct only passenger charter service based on seasonal and customer demand.
The airline had said in July last year it was exiting its loss-making Abu Dhabi operations to focus on its main eastern European market as political tensions in the Middle East wiped out its ambition of expansion in the region.
Wizz Air is scheduled to report its third quarter results on Thursday.
(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job and Rishab Shaju in Bengaluru; additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Bernadette Baum)
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