Hot summer already on the tarmac

Budapest Airport is in line to continue its best start to a year in a decade, adding eight new routes and welcoming four new airlines for the summer timetable. Recording an 8% increase in passenger traffic in February alone, the expanding summer schedule highlights the airport’s trend of continued growth. On 30 March, Norwegian added its fifth route to the airport’s network, inaugurating a thrice-weekly service to London Gatwick and boosting connections to the UK. The same day marked the beginning of Air Serbia’s association with the airport, when the carrier commenced Budapest’s second link to Belgrade. The airport also welcomed UP, the low-cost subsidiary of Israeli airline El Al, and its flight from Tel Aviv on 2 April. The first week of the summer schedule concluded with the addition of a fourth new route, the return of Jet2.com’s twice-weekly service to Leeds Bradford, following large demand for this airport pairing. As this year’s late Easter approaches, mid-April will see Budapest welcoming a further two new airlines when Vueling (to Barcelona) and transavia.com France (to Paris Orly) begin operations in the Hungarian capital.