Ryanair chief challenges Wizz Air with announcement of new routes from Budapest

Michael O'Leary presents 66 Ryanair routes in Hungary

Ryanair is launching six new routes from Hungary this summer, alongside increasing the frequency of flights on several existing routes.

During a press conference in Budapest, Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, announced that the airline will introduce six new routes to Hungary.

Despite setbacks from the Hungarian Government’s contentious “enviro tax” and Wizz Air’s adjustments to its fleet and routes, including the cancellation of five routes, Ryanair remains steadfast in its commitment to offering affordable fares and expanding its presence in Hungary. Ryanair is gearing up for its most extensive summer schedule yet from Budapest, with the introduction of new routes to Frankfurt, Faro, Milan, Skiathos, Trieste and Tirana.

In addition to these new routes, Ryanair is ramping up its summer flight offerings on 20 existing routes. These additional flights will provide passengers with more frequent travel options to destinations such as Alicante, Bari and Rome, bringing the total number of routes from Budapest to 66.

Ryanair aims to increase its traffic by 22 percent in 2024, carrying 5 million passengers and supporting over 4,000 jobs in Budapest. O’Leary confidently stated that Ryanair is poised to surpass Hungarian-based Wizz Air to become the largest airline in Hungary by 2024.

During his presentation, the CEO didn’t hold back in highlighting Wizz Air’s challenges, noting its higher operating costs, route discontinuations in Budapest, diminishing market share in countries like Italy, Poland and Hungary and its retreat from Ryanair’s core markets while exploring new markets where Ryanair isn’t currently present.

Finally, Ryanair’s chief reiterated his opposition to the Hungarian environmental tax on airlines.

“As Ryanair grows and invests in Budapest, we call on the Hungarian Government to scrap its stupid ‘enviro tax’. Instead of imposing unfair taxes on Hungarian citizens / visitors, the government should cut fees, scrap taxes and support airlines like Ryanair to grow traffic and jobs in Hungary while operating environmentally efficient fleets. We look forward to welcoming millions of Hungarian customers/visitors on board Ryanair’s low-fare flights to/from Budapest this summer” said Michael O’Leary.

Now East to the ‘Pearl of the Danube!’ 🇭🇺

Following on from this morning’s Austria announcement, we’re delighted to confirm 6 new routes (66 total) & 2 new aircraft for Budapest this summer:

✈️ Frankfurt, Faro, Milan, Skiathos, Trieste & Tirana

From Hungary, Michael said this: pic.twitter.com/yzIvpFvOv9

— Ryanair Press Team (@RyanairPress) February 20, 2024