Budapest will become the only EU hub from where you can travel to Russia

After Putin invaded Ukraine, all EU countries cancelled all flights to and from Russia as part of the sanctions policy they introduced against the Kremlin. However, it seems a loophole will be opened in that system. And the key city in the new scheme will be Budapest.

Budapest will become the main EU transport hub to Russia?

According to telex.hu, it is not by chance that Air Serbia, Serbia’s national airline owned partly by the Serbian state and Etihad (United Arab Emirates), reestablished a connection between Budapest and Belgrade. The first aircraft is scheduled to take off in the Serbian capital on 13 March to Budapest, as we wrote in THIS article.

Furthermore, Air Serbia not only relaunches that flight, but will expand it to 17 per week in no time. Is there such an astonishingly high demand for travel between the two capitals otherwise connected by a not too crowded motorway? Probably not. Telex.hu at least has another solution.

Serbia did not join the EU sanctions against Russia. Therefore, their planes still commute between four Russian airports, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan, and Belgrade. Not many airlines can do so. Their only competitor in the market is Turkish Airlines, operating flights to 36 Russian destinations. As a result, Istanbul and Belgrade became the main transport hubs of Russian tourists to Europe and foreign tourists and visitors to Russia.

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Serbia, Türkiye dominating the market

And that is where Budapest Airport and Hungary may come into view. Telex believes that the reason behing the high number of Budapest-Belgrade flights is that they would like to open a window to Russia from the European Union. Air Serbia promoted its restart in the Hungarian capital with destinations like New York, Chicago, some popular Mediterranean holiday spots and some Chinese cities. They will be reachable for Hungarian travellers if they transfer in Belgrade.

However, in those relations, the Serbian airline has multiple competitors. Most are in a better position on the market than Air Serbia. Thus, Telex believes the reason might be creating an EU travel hub towards Russia in Budapest. As a result, EU citizens, including Hungarians, could travel to Russia from an EU country without any problems. Furthermore, Russian tourists could travel to Hungary, one of their favourite holiday destinations, with Air Serbia.

Air Serbia and Turkish Airlines have become Europe’s market leaders concerning Russian flights. Russia’s airlines cannot enter the airspace of most neighbouring countries. As a result, they cannot serve their citizens to travel to Hungary or anywhere else in the European Union. However, if they change flights in Belgrade, they may come to Hungary with just a one-hour-long additional flight and spend some time in their favourite baths. For example, in Hévíz.

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Source: telex.hu, DNH