Longhaul low cost airlines: World Airways to be US' first

There has been an average of three long haul low cost airlines launches per year since 2012. There are now more than 160 widebody aircraft operating scheduled long haul low cost services under 21 operator's certificates from 17 countries.

The US is an obvious white spot as the world's largest aviation market still does not have a local long haul low cost airline. World Airways aims to fill this void, recognising that US full service airline groups are unlikely to follow their counterparts in Asia or Europe in establishing a long haul low cost subsidiary.

In 2017 a US private equity firm purchased the intellectual property of World Airways, which had suspended operations in 2014, and aims to relaunch the airline in 1Q2019 following the long haul low cost model. There is clearly an opportunity in the US for a long haul LCC, but pursuing this niche as an independent without affiliation to an existing airline could be challenging.