Wizz Air UK has announced that it plans to operate charter flights between the United Kingdom and the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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The budget airline said it had “officially received the necessary permits” for travel to the US.
It hopes to provide tailored charter flights for European football teams and supporters travelling to the football tournament in June and July, as well as for tour operators organising group travel to the US.
Wizz Air UK said the new authorisation “represents a significant achievement and reflects months of preparation, regulatory coordination, and operational planning”.
“This is a proud and exciting day for everyone at our airline,” said Yvonne Moynihan, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK.
“Receiving approval to operate between the UK and the United States is a huge milestone for our company.”
The airline expects strong interest from football teams participating in the World Cup.
“It opens the door to incredible opportunities, particularly for European football teams and supporters travelling across the Atlantic this summer,” Moynihan added.
“We are ready to deliver exceptional charter experiences and bring fans closer to the action in the United States.”
Beyond football travel, the airline’s charter services will also be available to corporate groups, tour operators, sports organisations, and private travellers seeking convenient transatlantic connections.
The low-cost carrier underlined that it has “no intention or plans to launch regular commercial flights to the US”, however. Charter enquiries for summer travel are now open.
The upcoming World Cup was pegged to bring a significant tourism boost to the US. But current data suggests that hope was overly optimistic.
Flight bookings from Europe to the US for this summer are down more than 14% year-over-year, according to Forbes, citing figures from aviation analytics company Cirium.
Yet another “barrier to travel” may soon come into force. A proposal from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) could make it mandatory for would-be travellers to make their social-media history from the past five years public when applying for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
ECTAA, the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations, says from a European traveller perspective the “cumulative effect” of the proposals risks making travel to the US “more complex, intrusive, and less accessible”, potentially “discouraging travel altogether”.