European low-cost carrier Wizz Air has explained that it has no plans to operate scheduled services to the USA and that a recent request for rights to fly to the country is based on an opportunity to operate charter flights for the football World Cup.
Speaking during a fiscal third quarter earnings call on 29 January, Wizz chief financial officer Ian Malin responded to recent news stories linking the carrier with scheduled transatlantic flights, saying: ”We do not have plans for scheduled service to the United States.”
Instead, Wizz’s recent submission to the US Department of Transportation via its UK business – seeking the “full scope” of rights under the US-UK ‘open skies’ agreement – is because Wizz sees a commercial opportunity in using its Airbus A321XLRs to operate charter flights for the football tournament, which begins in June this year and is being hosted by the USA alongside Canada and Mexico.
”The application allows you to select a check box for scheduled [flights] and that check box was selected, but I think somebody has taken that far out of proportion,” Malin says. “So there’s no change to the business model other than opportunistic charters based upon the mission that aircraft can fly.”
Wizz chief executive Jozsef Varadi also notes that US rights would position the carrier to operate charters for the next Summer Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles in 2028.
He further says that earnings from a transatlantic charter venture would not “move the dial” in terms of the carrier’s overall performance.
Wizz had six A321XLRs in its fleet at the end of 2025, the close of its third quarter. It is taking a total of 11 of the long-range type – having slashed its original commitment of 47 by converting 36 aircraft to A321neos.
Wizz says it is discussing transfer of five remaining Airbus A321XLR deliveries to another operator ahead of the summer season, but has yet to elaborate. Varadi notes, however, that the economics of the XLR mean the variant could be integrated into Wizz’s existing network in some cases and not necessarily on the longer routes that its extended range allows for.
Wizz uses its fleet of Airbus narrowbodies to serve destinations across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
The business nearly halved its net loss of the October-December quarter to €139.3 million ($166 million) and says it is making progress in turning its fortunes around after a tough exit from the Covid-19 crisis.
