Polish airline LOT has launched a scheduled, direct air passenger service between Budapest and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, meaning that after a pause of seven years there is now once again a direct air passenger route between the United States and Hungary.
LOT’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are capable of carrying 252 passengers and 12 tons of cargo, will be travelling the route four days-a-week all year round, on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
At a press conference held at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport prior to the official launch of the route, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that in our accelerating world links are becoming increasingly important, and this often crops up during talks with global companies. This is one of the reasons why the launching of Air China’s direct flights to Beijing, Air Canada Rouge’s long-haul flights to Toronto and Wizz Air’s flights to the Western Balkan countries are so important, he explained.
The Minister stressed the relationship between Hungary and Poland, which he said was not only strategic, but a friendship. “We can be certain of one thing: if Hungary is attacked, the Poles will stand by us, and the opposite is also true”, he declared.
Mr. Szijjártó also said that the 1700 American companies currently operating in Hungary provide jobs to some 100 thousand Hungarians, the United States has grown to become Hungary’s most important export market outside the European Union, and 51 major new U.S. investments have been realised in Hungary since 2014, creating 11 thousand new workplaces. “Accordingly, LOT’s new route will also be significantly contributing to the growth of the Hungarian economy”, he highlighted.
At the opening ceremony, CEO of LOT Rafal Milczarski stressed that the company first began operating flights between Warsaw and New York 45 years ago, and today, on 3 May, on the anniversary of the adoption of the Polish Constitution, LOT is launching its first ever air passenger service that will not by flying from Warsaw, it’s main travel hub.
He would like LOT to be treated as a Hungarian airline, he added.
In his speech, CEO of Budapest Airport Jost Lammers stressed the fact that almost half a million people travelled between the United States and Hungary last year, and accordingly there was already a heightened demand for direct flights to the U.S.
Mr. Lammers highlighted that Budapest Airport had recorded a 17 percent increase in passenger traffic during the first quarter of this year alone, making it one of Europe’s most rapidly growing airports. Thanks to the development projects that are already underway, the airport’s current capacity of 15 million will be successfully increased to 18-20 million, he said.
Hungarian air cabin crew will also be serving on the new flights, and LOT has already hired sixty Hungarian staff. In addition, the on-board entertainment system will also be in Hungarian, and during the summer LOT will be establishing an exclusive lounge at the airport for business class passengers.
The last direct flight between Hungary and the United States took off in the summer of 2011. Hungarian airline Malév’s partner, American Airlines, operated an air passenger route between Budapest and New York during the busy summer season using Boeing 767s. After Malév went into bankruptcy in February 2012, American Airlines was unable to extend its services for the summer period beginning in the end of March. The Dallas-based airline is returning to Budapest again this year, however, having launched a daily air passenger service between Budapest and Philadelphia on 4 May, which will be available until the end of October.
(MTI)
