Hungary Airlines Is Already Planning on Chinese Expansion

Hungary Airlines, the most recent airline operating in Hungary, might already be embarking on a major expansion. The company may soon operate another Chinese flight, as reports suggest it has applied for permits for two cargo routes, reported Világgazdaság.

An application has been submitted to operate cargo flights on the Budapest–Hangzhou and Budapest–Zhengzhou routes. These requests are based on unused aviation rights under the bilateral air transport agreement between Hungary and China, reported the Budflyer Facebook page.

Although the applicant’s identity has not been officially disclosed, the aviation blog noted that, according to a recent interview on Navigátorvilág,

Hungary Airlines aims to relaunch flights to Hangzhou and Zhengzhou this year. Furthermore, Urumqi may also be added to the network in the future.

To support this expansion, the airline plans to deploy five Boeing 777ERFS aircraft with Hungary Airlines branding.

Hungary Airlines received its necessary operating licenses back in December.

The airline conducted its first test flight on December 23, followed by several practice flights between Budapest and Kecskemét on January 4 and 5, using its own HUA code and BUDAPEST callsign. On January 5, a Hungary Airlines Airbus A330F flew to Shanghai for maintenance, using the flight code HUA 951. Although the airline wasn’t yet officially listed as having an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), it was expected to get one, its HUA flight code, and the BUDAPEST callsign by the end of December.

Fact

Hungary Airlines, founded in 2021 and previously focused on cargo transport between China and Hungary, rebranded in April 2024. It is now partially owned by the Hungarian state through Air Hungary and majority-owned by Chinese businessman Wu Jiang.

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