Budapest Airport, part of the VINCI Airports network, is set to soar to new heights in the upcoming W25 season, with record seat capacities, exciting new destinations, and increased connectivity across the globe.
As Hungary’s gateway,
the airport continues to build on its momentum, supporting both tourism and
business growth with an increasingly diverse and robust network.
Winter 2025: More
routes, more seats, more travellers
This winter, Budapest
will offer an impressive 8.9 million seats, a 12.5% increase over W24. The
route network will expand to 182 routes, up by 26, further increasing inbound
passenger volume in the winter period which has already recorded an increase of
over one million additional foreign air passengers, year-to-date August.
Seven new destinations
and routes are being introduced in W25, including two easyJet flights to
France: one to the airport of Nantes, also part of the VINCI Airports network;
and a new route to Bordeaux – reaching seven destinations operated by the airline
at Budapest. Jet2.com will add Newcastle and East Midlands, Ryanair will open
Marrakech, while Wizz Air will commence Turin and Tallinn. In addition, SAS,
which began operations to Copenhagen in April 2025 with four weekly flights,
will significantly ramp up services in W25, operating daily in November,
December, and March, and at least five weekly flights for the remainder of the
season.
Future growth
opportunities: under and unserved demand
Recent market analysis
highlights strong indirect traffic on long-haul routes not yet served directly
from Budapest. Demand continues to rise significantly for destinations in the
last 12 months to June, such as New York (124k passengers, +17% YoY), Toronto
(40k passengers, +7% YoY), Hanoi (40k passengers, +24% YoY), Bangkok (40k
passengers, +33% YoY), and Seoul (37k passengers, +37%YoY) — and based on
recent figures, further growth is anticipated across these markets in W25 due
to strong demand by Hungarian travellers and the attractiveness of the
Christmas Markets in Budapest for long-haul markets.
These figures reflect
Budapest’s growing role as a key Central European gateway — and its readiness
to absorb more non-stop long-haul services.
Sneak peek for
Summer 2026
Looking ahead to
Summer 2026, Budapest’s connectivity will take another leap forward with
American Airlines returning after six years with a non-stop Philadelphia
service, while Air Canada will resume its popular direct flight to Toronto.
Condor will enter the market as a new carrier and enhance links to Frankfurt
with three daily flights, and a new Hungary–China bilateral air service
agreement enabling further expansion of weekly frequencies between the two
countries.
“Budapest Airport is entering a bold new chapter of diversified growth by utilising off-peak capacity and welcoming new airlines and destinations. With a record-setting winter season ahead, fuelled by both inbound and outbound tourism demand, and a major long-haul transatlantic development on the horizon, we are more committed than ever to keep Budapest Airport’s position as the No. 1 airport in the Central Easten European region,” said Markus Klaushofer, CCO, Budapest Airport. -TradeArabia News Service
