New Hungarian airline is neither new nor very Hungarian
04 December 2024
Hungary Airlines and Boeing reportedly signed a memorandum with the intent to purchase 100 Boeing 737 MAX passenger jets. According to the Hungarian-Chinese outlet Új Szemle (which since then has deleted the article about the deal), the memorandum was signed at the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) at the end of November, where Hungary was a guest of honour.
A new direct flight between Budapest and Hong Kong operated by Hungary Airlines could take off as early as this month.
 | Fruzsina Szikszai Hungary Airlines' majority owner is Wu Jiang, a well-known businessman in the Chinese community in Hungary. The company's name – which was changed only in 2024 to the current one – might suggest otherwise, but it is not a national carrier, which the country hasn't had since Malév's bankruptcy in 2012. Up until now it was exclusively a cargo operator, but it has been trying to get an Air Operator's Certificate from the Hungarian authorities to be able to get into the passenger transportation business too. Hungary Airlines also has growing ties to the government, eager to be in the good graces of Beijing. According to media, the only state-owned cargo plane, purchased during the Covid-19 pandemic, will soon be operated by Hungarian Airlines instead of Budapest-based WizzAir. Wu Jiang is also a business partner of prime minister Viktor Orbán's son-in-law, Tiborcz István. The company is reportedly planning to create a regional hub in Budapest and launch direct flights to China, with the aim to boost tourism and trade. |
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