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BREAKING: New Hungarian airline founded with Chinese help
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A new Hungarian airline was founded, and a cooperation agreement was signed on 27 November with Boeing at Beijing’s Chain Expo. Launching a new, Hungary-related airline is such important news that it is strange Minister Péter Szijjártó, who is regularly present on such occasions, was not there and did not even report about the event on his Facebook page.
Chinese founder, Boeing provides 100 new planes
According to Budflyer, a Hungarian air travel news Facebook page, Új Szemle, a Hungarian-Chinese news outlet, wrote about the birth of the new airline and their agreement with Boeing in Beijing. Hungary Airlines CEO is Duan Bo, who signed the documents with Boeing Commercial Sales & Marketing in Greater China VP Gao Sixiang. The agreement is about acquiring 100 new B737 MAX aircraft, but Budflyer and its Chinese source did not mention a deadline for the delivery.
Hungary Airlines plans to open new routes between China and Central Eastern Europe. Furthermore, they would like to use Budapest as their European hub.
The head of the Relations Department of HEPA (Hungarian Export Promotion Agency) said that Hungary Airlines aims to become a global trademark and provide sustainable and effective air travel services. Moreover, they would like to strengthen the relationship between China and Hungary.
Based on the article published by Új Szemle, Hungary Airlines plans to launch its first flight to Hong Kong. However, it is not specified whether that will be a cargo or a passenger flight.
Új Szemle is a Hungarian-Chinese news outlet founded by Geng Jie and her husband in 2000 in Budapest. It has a print and online version and acquired thousands of followers on WeChat in China. The news outlet publishes news about Hungary for the Chinese diaspora living here. The articles are written by Chinese people living in Budapest.
New Hungarian airline without Hungarian governmental help?
Interestingly, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó did not post about the launch of a new Hungarian airline despite being very active in communicating such news.
Let there be no misunderstanding, this is a Chinese airline that’ll use a Hungarian operating licence to fly within the EU, which isn’t a privilege accorded to Chinese carriers. There’s nothing Hungarian about it, beyond the name. If Hungary still had a national carrier it could provide feeder flights for Chinese carriers operating from Budapest, as well as distributing cargo arriving from China. In the absence of such an airline, the Chinese are founding their own.
This isn’t wholly bad news as the business model will wash its face with Chinese transit passengers and cargo, nor will it be under pressure to maximise profits as its primary role will be to expand Chinese influence in Europe while facilitating Chinese travellers and manufacturing output to get to elsewhere in the EU with a seamless transfer at Budapest airport, all while keeping revenues within Chinese hands. As such, it could be a decidedly comfortable airline to fly on compared to the low cost and European legacy airlines whose wafer thin margins dictate that they offer cramped seating and nothing more than a packet of peanuts if you’re lucky.
It’s certainly an interesting development and will bring back the transfer passengers that Budapest airport lost when Malev folded, depriving the airport of a key source of revenue.
….and who owns Budapest Airport?
what is the bsvkground if Wujiang? he has so much money to invest in Hungary, why? First Asia town and now the Hungary Aurlibe