Budapest market recovers following loss of Malev

The Hungarian market has recovered incredibly well since the loss of national carrier Malev Hungarian Airlines in Feb-2012. In the days and weeks that followed, up to 80% of the point-to-point traffic lost from Malev's collapse on 03-Feb-2012 was quickly recovered. By the start of the 2012 summer season nearly all of the point-to-point traffic was already recovered. Wizz Air and Ryanair were first to fill the void, however other carriers from across Europe also increased their presence in the months following.

Low-cost carriers have accounted for most of the capacity added to fill the void left by Malev. Hungary-based LCC Wizz Air now faces a considerable level of competition from Ryanair, which opened a base at the airport in mid Feb-2012. While there has been a lot of activity in the past seven months, more expansion is still yet to come at Budapest Airport.