Budget airline Wizz Air is looking to launch its first-ever transatlantic flights from the UK in a move that could shake up the aviation industry.
The low-cost aviation game has been a fierce competition in Europe for decades now with the likes of Ryanair, EasyJet and more battling it out for the cheapest air fares.
However, for as long as low-cost short-haul flights have existed, the question over the potential for long-haul low-cost services has also loomed large.
For a sustained period of time, however, this market proved hard to make work, and debatably still is.
The likes of Norwegian and WOW both previously tried to service this market, but could not make operations justifiable, eventually ending the services.
Currently Norse offer the lowest-cost flights across the Atlantic, with return tickets often available for under £300.
Meanwhile, Aer Lingus operate cheap flights from Manchester to the East Coast of America, however, the airline has stopped taking bookings for these flights.
Now, there is a new competitor in the field, and it’s a name everyone is surely familiar with, Wizz Air.
That’s right, everyone’s favourite purple and pink coloured airline is looking at launching flights across the pond.
While Wizz Air is no stranger to a long-haul flight, previously operating flights from the UK to Abu Dhabi and the Maldives, it would be the first time they’ve embarked on transatlantic flights.
The airline is currently seeking approval from the US Department of Transportation to begin flights from the UK to the US.
The application was filled out on 23 January 2026 and cites the Open Skies agreement of 2020 which allows airlines to request access to launch flights between the UK and the US.
While little is known about what destinations Wizz Air could offer, it would likely service popular destinations such as New York, Miami and Orlando.
Flights would likely be undertaken on the airline’s single-aisle twin-engine Airbus A32neo and A321XLR aircraft.
Ryanair has previously spoken about the difficulties of low-cost transatlantic flights.
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 added that not having a business class makes the model even more difficult.
“There’s no obvious part of our business model that is transferable from short-haul. Nobody has ever really cracked that yet,” Wilson said.