As Hungary battles a massive budget deficit, Orbán’s billionaire ally jets from island to island

Lőrinc Mészáros, Hungary’s wealthiest businessman, and his wife Andrea Várkonyi appear to be continuing an extensive, island-to-island luxury journey across the Pacific, with flight data now indicating that their next destination could be Singapore.

According to Hungarian media reports tracking the couple’s private jet, Mészáros is expected to leave Oceania on 11 January and head towards Southeast Asia after several days spent among remote island destinations. The billionaire and his wife have been travelling aboard a newly manufactured Bombardier Global long-range private jet, registered in Austria under the code OE-LOT. The aircraft, delivered in 2024, reportedly has a purchase price of around HUF 22 billion (EUR 57 million), according to 24.hu.

From Budapest to Hawaii without stopping

The journey began on 29 December, when the couple departed Budapest and flew non-stop to Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States, 24.hu writes. From there, they continued on to Hawaii, where they reportedly spent several days, including New Year’s Eve. On 5 January, the aircraft left Hawaii and headed south into the Pacific Ocean.

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Temporary disappearance from flight trackers

At that point, the flight briefly disappeared from publicly accessible flight-tracking websites, prompting speculation and comments from independent MP Ákos Hadházy. He noted that the aircraft’s signal vanished roughly an hour after take-off from Honolulu, which raised questions about the jet’s exact destination.

Bora Bora and Fiji confirmed

Subsequent data, however, clarified the route. The private jet later appeared in French Polynesia, landing at Motu Mute Airport near Bora Bora, one of the region’s most exclusive holiday destinations. From there, the aircraft continued to the Fiji Islands, where it is currently believed to be located.

Updated information published by aviation tracking site FlightAware suggests that the jet is scheduled to depart Fiji on Sunday. The listed destination is Singapore, which lies approximately nine and a half hours’ flying time from Nadi, Fiji’s third-largest city and a major aviation hub in the region.

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Political reactions and public scrutiny

Hadházy later confirmed the Bora Bora stop in a social media post, writing that Mészáros had not, as he put it ironically, “been lost over the Pacific Ocean”. He added that the aircraft had indeed flown island to island, following a route consistent with high-end leisure travel across the region.

Mészáros, a former gas fitter turned billionaire and a close associate of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has frequently attracted public attention in Hungary due to his rapid accumulation of wealth and lavish lifestyle. His private jet flights and luxury holidays have repeatedly sparked debate, particularly in light of his extensive business interests linked to state-funded projects.

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No official comment on future plans

Neither Mészáros nor Várkonyi have commented publicly on the purpose of the current trip or on its next stages beyond Singapore. For now, flight data suggests that the couple’s globe-spanning journey is far from over.