Staggering costs revealed: How Viktor Orbán’s frequent travelling with military planes is draining Hungarian taxpayers by millions

Viktor Orbán
Source: Facebook / Viktor Orbán

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán regularly uses the Hungarian Defence Forces’ aircraft, which was previously designated as a non-governmental asset. Over the last year, Orbán has taken at least thirteen flights on this plane. But how much are these trips costing Hungarian taxpayers?

According to HVG360, since June 2023, the state has spent more than HUF 800 million (EUR 2 million) on Viktor Orbán’s foreign trips, a sharp rise compared to the previous 18 months, when these expenses totalled around HUF 500 million (EUR 1.2 million).

Viktor Orbán
Source: Facebook / Viktor Orbán

Around half of Orbán’s foreign trips have been to EU member states. However, frequent visits to Eastern countries, raising questions about Hungary’s alliance with the EU, have also been prominent. Accompanying Orbán are often key figures such as EU Affairs Minister János Bóka, State Secretary János Máté, House of Terror Museum Director Mária Schmidt, foreign policy advisor Zsuzsanna Rahói, and political director Balázs Orbán.

On several occasions, Portuguese politician Mario David, along with ministers Gergely Gulyás, Csaba Lantos, Mihály Varga, and Márton Nagy, have also joined the Hungarian PM. Additionally, an undisclosed family member, likely the prime minister’s wife, has been part of these delegations.

Viktor Orbán’s visit to Moscow

In July, just five days after Hungary assumed the EU Presidency, Viktor Orbán travelled to Moscow for discussions with Vladimir Putin. He was joined by a 13-member delegation that included Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and other senior officials. As part of a brief diplomatic tour, Orbán also visited Kyiv, accompanied by Roger Köppel, the editor-in-chief of the Swiss publication Weltwoche, who later praised the Prime Minister as a hero.

This visit sparked significant controversy within the European Union, as Orbán’s meeting with Putin raised concerns about his implicit representation of EU interests. Many EU officials expressed discontent, leading to ongoing debates about the implications and potential “benefits” of this encounter for the European Union.

The statistics

Newly released data from the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade details the aggregate costs for Orbán’s trips, though without specifying expenses per destination. Based on the information available so far, around HUF 540 million (EUR 1.3 million) was spent on accommodation, HUF 255 million (EUR 630 000) on travel costs and HUF 15 million (EUR 37 000) on daily allowances for 60 trips.

With only a few months left in Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Prime Minister Orbán is expected to undertake several more trips abroad as part of his declared mission for peace. Additionally, as an EU representative, he will continue to attend various EU events regularly. As a result, travel-related expenses and statistics are anticipated to increase further in the future.

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