Direct flights between Hungary and the US again?

According to ajot.com two of the Gulf region’s biggest airlines might carry people between central Europe and the US. The United Arab Emirates is seeking to establish Budapest as a bridgehead.

The American Journalist of transportation reports: “The application for so-called fifth-freedom rights concerns services to two points beyond Hungary, Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of the U.A.E.’s General Civil Aviation Authority, said in an interview, adding that those locations have yet to be determined, but could include the U.S.”

MALÉV Hungarian Airlines was the flag carrier and principal airline of Hungary but the company stopped operating in 2012.

As we wrote recently the government of the UEA asked about the licence for its airline companies to operate flights from Budapest to destinations other than domestic ones, Szijjártó said.

According to ajot.com, Al Suwaidi told that the Budapest initiative is part of the operation to convince countries lacking fifth-freedom provisions to permit such access “especially where there is no connectivity, such as Hungary-U.S.” though airlines must decide if they want to take up accords put in place.

Copy editor: bm

Source: ajot.com, MTI