Hungary’s Wizz Air eyes US cargo flights

Wizz Air (W6, Budapest) has announced plans to launch cargo charter flights on behalf of the Hungarian government using its A330-200F.

In its application lodged with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) on January 18, the low-cost carrier said the charters would be operated on a commercial basis. Currently, HA-LHU (msn 1578) is deployed exclusively on behalf of the government on cargo charters, mainly between Budapest and destinations in China.

“Wizz Air confirms that is has filed a request for a Foreign Air Carrier Permit in the US for the A330 freighter aircraft owned by the Hungarian government and operated by the airline. The purpose of this request is to secure any possible future commercial cargo operations to and from the United States,” the airline told ch-aviation in a statement.

The A330 is Wizz Air’s only dedicated freighter. The low-cost carrier has been contracted to operate the aircraft at least through March 31, 2023. Wizz Air’s core business comprises point-to-point services mostly within Europe using a fleet of fifty-seven A320-200s, six A320-200Ns, thirty-four A321-200s, and thirty-five A321-200NXs. Wizz Air UK operates a further three A320-200s, seven A321-200s, and four A321-200NXs, while Wizz Air Abu Dhabi operates four A321-200NXs.

None of the group carriers operates to the United States – the westernmost point in Wizz Air’s network being Reykjavik Keflavik. Although the group has forty-seven A321-200NX(XLR)s on firm order, it has asserted on various occasions that it has no intention of using the aircraft for transatlantic operations, preferring instead to focus on connecting existing fringe destinations.