Budapest Airport cracks Kraków connection

Continuing to experience a strong acceleration in passenger traffic – recording a robust 17% increase in Q1 – Budapest Airport has welcomed its latest new link by celebrating the inaugural flight of LOT Polish Airlines’ service to Kraków. Ahead of launching the first of its new US routes tomorrow, the Star Alliance carrier commenced its connection to Poland’s second-largest city utilising its Q400s.
Facing no competition on the airport pair, LOT’s six times weekly Kraków operation joins its existing 33 times weekly service to Warsaw Chopin, further established Poland’s position as Budapest’s 15th largest country market. With a 72% share of all weekly scheduled flights from Hungary’s capital city airport to Poland, over 120,000 one-way seats will be available from Budapest to the Eastern European country this summer.
“Our partnership with LOT Polish Airlines has strengthened immensely over the past 12 months so it’s great to launch another high-demand route with our valued partner,” enthuses Balázs Bogáts, Head of Airline Development, Budapest Airport. “With a potential market of more than 30,000 passengers, we are extremely expectant of great success on this route, a destination our passengers have told us has been high on their wish list for some time,” added Bogáts.
Photo caption: To celebrate the arrival of LOT Polish Airlines’ new link from Budapest, the Hungarian gateway’s Senior Airline Development Manager Sándor Saly (third left), presented the airline’s Country Manager-Hungary Elżbieta Borzon, with a traditional cake welcoming the inaugural flight of the Star Alliance carrier’s six times weekly service to Kraków.
Notes for Editors
 Budapest Airport Zrt. is the operator of Budapest Airport. It is owned by an international consortium of investors, led by the privately-owned German company AviAlliance, an independent airport manager holding a 55.438% stake, together with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (21.228%), and Malton Investment Pte Ltd. (23.334%).
 Budapest Airport welcomed more than 13 million passengers in 2017, flying on the airport’s services to 125 destinations across 45 countries.
 Monthly passenger traffic growth March 2018 has exceeded +17%.
 Budapest Airport’s route development includes:
Already launched:
o easyJet daily service to Berlin Tegel, 9 January 2018;
o Wizz Air twice-weekly service to Stavanger, 15 March 2018;
o Wizz Air four times weekly service to Athens, 25 March 2018;
o Ryanair twice-weekly service to Santander, 26 March 2018;
o Ryanair three times weekly service to Paphos, 27 March 2018;
o LOT Polish Airlines six times weekly service to Krakow, 28 April 2018.
To launch:
o Wizz Air five times weekly service to Basel, starting 3 May 2018;
o LOT Polish Airlines four times weekly service to New York JFK, starting 3 May 2018;
o LOT Polish Airlines twice-weekly service to Chicago O’Hare, starting 5 May 2018;
o American Airlines daily service to Philadelphia, starting 5 May 2018;
o Ryanair twice-weekly service to Marseille, starting W18/19;
o Ryanair twice-weekly service to Amman, starting W18/19.
For more information: Kerry Parks, Account Manager, Budapest Airport Aviation Development PR PPS Publications, Media & Events (44) 1293 783851/mobile (44) 7808 172723 or kerry@pps-publications.com