Saturday, August 24, 2024 VINCI Airports is celebrating a significant milestone with the introduction of a new route connecting two key airports in its network: Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport in France and Budapest Airport in Hungary. This new connection, operated by easyJet, offers passengers a much-anticipated direct link between the two cities, with flights scheduled twice a week. On August 21, the inaugural flight between Lyon and Budapest was warmly welcomed in the Hungarian capital.
Budapest Airport, a vital gateway handling 96% of Hungary’s air traffic, now strengthens its connectivity within the VINCI Airports network. This new route complements Budapest Airport’s existing connections to other major destinations, including London Gatwick, Belgrade, and Lisbon. Budapest Airport has shown remarkable resilience and growth.
In 2023, it reached 90% of its pre-pandemic traffic levels. The first half of 2024 saw even more promising results, with passenger numbers surpassing 2019 levels by over 7%, totaling 7.9 million travelers.
The airport’s positive outlook is bolstered by Hungary’s burgeoning tourism sector, which is expected to drive further growth. In addition to the new Budapest route, easyJet has also announced plans to launch two more routes from Lyon-Saint Exupéry this autumn, connecting passengers to Berlin, Germany, and Newcastle, England. With these additions, easyJet will offer flights to 50 destinations from Lyon, underscoring the airport’s strategic .