Wizz Air is to get a competitor concerning the Budapest-Liverpool route this October, based on a post published by Budflyer, a Hungarian Facebook page focusing on air travel news. Here is what we know about the new flight from Budapest.
New flight from Budapest to the United Kingdom
The Irish low-cost airline Ryanair began to upload its winter timetable this week, and Budflyer already noticed a new direct flight from Budapest to Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The first flight will take off from Budapest Airport on 28 October, and Ryanair plans two flights per week in their winter timetable.
Wizz Air already operates a direct flight between the UK metropolis and the Hungarian capital. However, considering the high number of Hungarians working, studying, or living in the United Kingdom, we believe there will be considerable demand for a new flight from Budapest on that route.
Lots of Hungarians work abroad, one of their favourites is the UK
444.hu wrote in April that the number of Hungarians working abroad was 109 thousand between January and March. That is 8 thousand more than in January-March 2023. In November, it was 110 thousand. The Hungarian nationals working abroad peaked before the COVID-19 pandemic and Brexit with 120 thousand. The United Kingdom is one of the Hungarians’ favourites apart from Austria and Germany, particularly because most Hungarians learn English in school.
Among the many reasons are the low salaries in most sectors and the long shifts or lack of proper equipment in sectors like the Hungarian healthcare system or education. That is why 65% of the Hungarians plan to work abroad, while the global average concerning that factor is just 54%. Meanwhile, lots of foreign citizens – mostly from East Asia – come to work in Hungary. Between 2013 and 2024, the number of Asian guest workers in the country increased from 27 thousand to 93 thousand. Most of them work and live in Budapest’s downtown.
Ryanair expands network
The last time Ryanair announced a new flight from Budapest was this April: the Irish low-cost airline added some flights from Budapest to Milan Malpensa Airport to the summer schedule. Later, they announced the resumption of their popular flight from the Hungarian capital to Israel’s Tel Aviv. The first plane will take off on 4 June and will be available five times a week.
According to the Hungarian press, there is not much chance for Budapest Airport to get some Transatlantic flights due to the unfavourable Hungarian-American relations. That may only change after the November presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Hungary’s air connections to the East are constantly developing. Apart from the multiple projects announced during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Budapest – including the private super-fast train connection between Budapest downtown and Budapest Airport – new flights may begin to carry passengers between China and Budapest this summer.
Seven Chinese cities available from Budapest
According to airportal.hu, China Southern Airlines will fly between the Hungarian capital and Guangzhou four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Before, the Hungarian government announced a direct flight to Shenzhen twice a week.
Based on the Polish Rynek Lotniczy, the operator of Budapest Airport is working on two additional flights: Chengdu (Sichuan Airlines) and Xiamen (Xiamen Airlines).
From 2024 H2, seven Chinese cities will be available with direct flights from Budapest with 19 flights per week.
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Featured image: depositphotos.com