First Scheduled Flight from Guangzhou to Budapest

The first scheduled flight from Guangzhou, China, arrived at Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport on Thursday. China Southern airline flies four times a week between the Chinese metropolis and the Hungarian capital.

Boglárka Illés, State Secretary for Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFA), is of the view that the launch of the new direct flight is in line with the two countries' efforts to strengthen relations based on mutually beneficial cooperation. At the press conference after the ceremonial reception of the Boeing 787-9, she expressed her view that bilateral economic and trade relations are steadily developing, with China being Hungary's ninth most important trading partner last year and the most important outside Europe. The bilateral trade turnover exceeded USD 17 billion in 2023, and China was the largest source of foreign investment in Hungary, the State Secretary said.

The opening of the new route puts a key region within reach, with the Chinese metropolis at the center of the province that is the country's economic engine. The southern Chinese region is particularly important for Hungarian-Chinese economic relations, as more than 85% of Chinese investments come from here, she added.

According to Francois Berisot, the newly appointed CEO of Budapest Airport, the new direct flight will open up numerous opportunities for economic operators and business passengers, but also offers further potential for tourism. Due to the strategic location of Hungary and Liszt Ferenc International Airport, Budapest can become a point of departure and arrival for passengers from the Far East who are traveling to Europe, which will generate additional revenue. “At the same time, the new route will also provide a good opportunity for Hungarians traveling to Asia and the Pacific," he pointed out.

The new route will increase the number of seats available between the Hungarian capital and major Chinese cities by around 56,000 in 2024, the same number of passengers who flew between the two countries in 2011, and more than 400,000 people will have the opportunity to fly between China and Hungary this year, he said.

Gong Tao, China's ambassador to Hungary, said, among other things, that the increase in the number of direct flights between the Hungarian capital and Chinese cities will make bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment more convenient. Guangzhou is the political, economic, cultural, scientific and educational center of southern China and one of the most important ports of the Maritime Silk Road, he said.