New direct flight will connect Budapest with this Central Asian capital

Márton Nagy, Hungary’s minister for economic development, announced at the International Investment Forum in Tashkent that a direct flight will connect Budapest and the capital of Uzbekistan.

The Tashkent Times wrote about the agreement yesterday, and Budflyer, a Hungarian travel news Facebook page, summed up the article’s content. According to Mr Nagy, the first direct flight will take off between the two cities in the second half of this year.

He said the relationship between the two countries is of increasing importance, the two states move closer despite the 4,000 km separating them. Márton Nagy added that the new direct flight is part of the bilateral economic relations. Budflyer wrote that the decision was not out of the blue. We wrote in March that Uzbekistan opened an embassy in Budapest, so all member states of the Organisation of Turkic States have a diplomatic representation in Hungary. The Hungarian OTP Bank is the 5th biggest player in Uzbekistan’s banking sector, having more than 1.6 million customers.

The new flight is not out of the blue

Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, announced then that a direct air link would be established between the two capitals by the end of this year. That is what Márton Nagy confirmed now. The minister for economic development added that Wizz Air has good chance to operate the air link. The president of the Hungarian low-cost airline, Robert Carey, is currently in Uzbekistan holding talks with the chairman of the directorate of the Uzbek airports. Daryo, an Uzbek online portal, wrote that Mr Carey is negotiating a flight to Hungary.

Meanwhile, a Budapest-Hangzhou direct cargo flight will be launched soon. The operator will be Wizz Air, and an Airbus A330F will commute between the Chinese metropolis and the Hungarian capital. The official opening of the route was on 27 April. The plane of the Hungary Air Cargo will serve it four times a week. The aircraft will deliver Chinese products to Europe strengthening Budapest Airport’s role as a logistics hub concerning goods distribution between China and East Europe.

As we wrote, Sichuan Airlines operate another direct cargo flight between Hungary and Chinese Chengdu. According to Buflyer, new passenger and cargo flights are expected to start operation between Budapest and China thanks to the strengthening commercial and touristic ties.