Direct flight may connect Budapest with this exotic Southeast Asia metropolis
AirAsia, a Malaysian low-cost airline, may launch a new direct flight between Budapest and Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, this autumn. At least that is what Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said after a visit to the Thai metropolis this week.
Budapest-Bangkok flight on the horizon
Hungarian-Thai trade in 2023 worth USD 730 million was record-breaking, he said, and tourism “has also doubled”. Szijjártó added that hopefully, he would convince AirAsia managers to launch a flight to Budapest.
The minister also announced that AirAsia could launch a direct flight between Bangkok and Budapest in the autumn, noting that in 2023, tourism figures doubled compared with the previous year, with over 10,000 tourists visiting Hungary, and Thailand receiving more than 30,000 Hungarians. Szijjártó said preparations had been made and relevant talks “will be concluded today”. “We have a good chance of there being a direct link between Bangkok and Budapest shortly,” he said.
Interestingly, Utazómajom, a Hungarian travel news outlet, wrote that Szijjártó announced the new Bangkok-Budapest direct flight. However, they admit that one of the international airlines only measures the possibility of launching a new direct flight between the two cities. Hopefully, their article’s title is not just clickbait, and they know something more than what MTI, the Hungarian news agency wrote about Szijjártó’s visit and his claims about the possible new flight.
Another Hungarian travel news outlet remains sceptical
Hungarian tourists can visit Bangkok via Vienna by travelling with Austrian Airlines or EVA Air. Travel time is 10 hours. Bangkok is perfect to travel to the world-known Pattaya beach by bus. Another option is the spectacular Ko Chang Island, only a short journey away from the airport.
Bangkok is perfect for everybody wanting to discover Southeast Asia, as you can buy cheap tickets for budget airlines connecting Bangkok with the big metropolises of the region. However, considering the number of such announcements and their realisation, we should wait for a detailed statement concerning the issue.
Indeed, okosutas.hu, another Hungarian travel news outlet, remains sceptical about the new flight. They said that Szijjártó did not share any details about the plans, and, concerning Air Asia’s operation mechanism, we can take the flight granted only after we can start booking tickets.
They said that the Malaysian low-cost airline operates no flights to Europe. It planned air connections with London, Istanbul, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest in 2022, but nothing happened. Thus, we should remain realistic concerning this announcement, too.
The Hungarian government likes to announce new flights as part of its success propaganda. Márton Nagy, for example, did so in the case of a Hungary-Uzbekistan route last year, but no plane has ever taken off yet.
However, even Okosutas admits demand for a Bangkok-Budapest direct flight is much higher than an Uzbekistan-Hungary one. Never say never.
Read also: