According to airportal.hu, the number of weekly flights linking Budapest with major Chinese cities will increase from 42 to 77, including 35 passenger services and 42 cargo flights, according to an announcement by Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó.
The expansion was agreed upon during talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, who is currently visiting Budapest.
Szijjártó noted that while the overall increase in services has been confirmed, no specific routes were disclosed at the joint press conference.
At present, under the bilateral air transport agreement between Hungary and China, 42 weekly flights operate between the two countries. Half of these are passenger services serving seven major Chinese cities:
- Beijing (Air China – four flights per week)
- Shanghai (China Eastern / Shanghai Airlines – daily)
- Chongqing (Air China – once weekly)
- Ningbo (China Eastern / Shanghai Airlines – twice weekly)
- Xi’an (China Eastern / Shanghai Airlines – once weekly)
- Guangzhou (China Southern – four times weekly)
- Shenzhen (Hainan Airlines – twice weekly)
Both countries have been working since late 2024 to expand direct passenger and cargo connections. Air China has already confirmed that it will increase the frequency of its Beijing–Budapest service in the 2026 summer timetable.