Historic: Special Wizz Air jet flies PM Orbán to Trump in Washington tomorrow

The Hungarian media reported that the Hungarian government delegation deserves a special aircraft for the long journey, sparking comments that government members and their large entourage would travel on a specially modified plane. Péter Szijjártó promptly denied this, and we’ll show you the inside of the unique Wizz Air plane that is undertaking the transatlantic flight. Orbán and his team hope to achieve important results in Washington on issues that could fundamentally influence the 2026 elections.

Wizz Air owns two Airbus A321XLR aircraft

We previously reported that Wizz Air ordered dozens of Airbus A321XLRs to operate longer-distance flights than before. Although CEO József Váradi hadn’t considered American destinations at the time, cities in Central Asia and the Far East were among the planned routes — a bold move for the Hungarian low-cost carrier traditionally dominant in Europe.

Those plans fell through, and Wizz Air cancelled a large portion of its earlier order. So far, it has received only two A321XLRs, one of which is based in Malta, meaning the Budapest-based plane will likely carry the Hungarian government delegation to Washington on a special charter flight granted one-time permission.

• Wizz Air greatly reduces long range Airbus planes’ orders, halts all UAE routes

József Váradi enthusiastically boasted about this opportunity, telling Világgazdaság that tomorrow will be only the second time the airline flies to the United States. According to Váradi, this flight demonstrates that the Hungarian low-cost carrier “represents the highest level of professional and operational excellence,” as reported by Budflyer.

Check out the aircraft government members will travel on

At the time the first A321XLR was delivered, Airbus said the plane has 239 seats, so even Orbán Viktor’s sizable delegation will travel comfortably. vg.hu reported yesterday that János Lázár and Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky will definitely accompany the Prime Minister, along with several business leaders.

Here’s a video from a YouTuber who flew 7 hours from London to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) on the same plane model:

Their observations can be summed up as: Wizz Air offers the cheapest travel but sacrifices comfort, making 7 hours without extra legroom a real test. Comparing it to Saudia, they found that including extras like checked luggage could make Saudia cheaper than Wizz Air. In terms of service, however, Wizz Air came out on top.

Here are two photos of the plane’s interior:

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó was ourtaged even by the accusation that they will travel with a luxury jet:

What awaits Orbán in Washington?

Arriving on a Wizz Air plane to meet with President Trump is undoubtedly historic, but Orbán’s mission in Washington is about much more than promoting the Hungarian airline. An MCC expert says the main goal is to gain a reprieve for Hungary from having to give up Russian energy imports. Privátbankár points out that this is really the only acceptable option for the Hungarian Prime Minister.

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So far, the government has warned that cutting ties with Russian energy would bring economic decline and rising energy and petrol prices. If this falls through due to American sanctions, opposition parties claim the government has been misleading the public. If the government’s claims prove true, it risks substantial loss of voter support.

Promising prospects for Trump’s visit to Budapest

MCC expert Géza Sebestyén expects further outcomes in Washington, such as new American investments in Hungary across sectors from pharmaceuticals to finance, automotive to IT. He emphasises that Hungary can compete by offering affordable yet skilled labour.

Viktor Orbán posted a video today explaining the purpose of the meeting, stating they aim to establish a strategic economic partnership with the Trump administration. They have prepared a comprehensive Hungarian-American economic cooperation package, reports the Hungarian News Agency.

Although a Putin-Trump summit in Budapest is unlikely soon due to the Russian side, political expert and former advisor to the Prime Minister Péter Tölgyessy suggests Trump might return the visit before the 2026 elections. This was successfully done once with Argentine President Javier Milei, albeit under the threat of scrapping a $20 billion programme if Milei’s bloc lost the midterms. Hungary’s economy would benefit greatly from a similar American “intervention” now — the question is how much can be secured tomorrow in Washington.