Thrilling new international airport will be built for tens of thousands of Hungarians: Wizz Air, Ryanair ready to fly

Even as Ukraine’s budget teeters on the brink amid the Russian onslaught, bold ambitions are clearly alive and kicking in this war-battered nation. For the first time since independence in 1991, they’re planning a brand-new international airport – and it’s right across the border from Hungary. Ryanair and Wizz Air have already signalled they’re poised to jet back in the moment the attacks stop.

Budapest to Transcarpathia with Wizz Air? New international airport makes it possible

If plans hold firm, the answer is a resounding yes. The gleaming new Mukachevo International Airport could welcome its first passengers by 2029 – the first entirely new airfield built in Ukraine since it broke free from the Soviet Union. While the EU scrambles to secure funding alongside other nations to keep Ukraine’s finances from collapsing under the war’s weight, it seems they’ve nailed down the cash.

According to Világgazdaság, a fresh cooperation deal was just inked between Mukachevo’s mayor, Andriy Baloha, and Oleh Tarasyuk, head of the state-owned Fininpro. This paves the way for the airport to be completed within three years, at a whopping EUR 804 million, footed by the state budget and international loans. Category C passenger jets like Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s will touch down here, complete with a state-of-the-art terminal for passengers and cargo, plus massive freight-handling capacity.

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Tourism boom and business buzz

Locals in Mukachevo and Transcarpathia are buzzing with hope that this upgrade will catapult the region onto Ukraine’s tourism map, drawing business travellers too. Projections show tourist numbers surging 20-30% from 2029, creating up to 500 high-paying, secure jobs at the airport itself – and thousands more in related sectors.

Pre-war Ukraine saw Transcarpathia overlooked as a hotspot, yet it boasts everything from mountain hikes and mouthwatering wines to historic towns and castles. Regional players are banking on this project to supercharge tourism, though peace feels distant with Putin digging in on territories Ukraine won’t cede for defence reasons.

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An opportunity for tens of thousands of Hungarians

Both Ryanair and Wizz Air have made it clear: the instant peace breaks out, they’re ready to return at full throttle.

Despite the war and economic woes accelerating emigration from Transcarpathia’s Hungarian community since 2014 – with a 2017 survey pegging their numbers at around 120,000 – current estimates put the remaining Hungarian population in Ukraine’s westernmost region at 70,000-80,000.

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