Price hike: Why flights from Hungary are getting more expensive

In recent years, travelling from Hungary to various parts of Europe and the world has become a subject of deep discussion due to the sharp increase in ticket prices. This trend is causing both interest and concern among those who have previously enjoyed the affordability of flights from Budapest and other Hungarian cities.

According to the publication, since 2019, the average increase in round-trip airfares from Budapest has reached 40-60%. For some routes in the period from 2022 to 2023, the increase amounted to 10,000 Hungarian forints (26 euros), dailynewshungary writes.

There is a steady upward trend in the cost of flights from Hungary to various European destinations. More and more travellers are paying attention to this trend as ticket prices have risen significantly over the past year. For example, a trip to London has risen in price by 40% (155 euros) and to Amsterdam by 42% (284 euros) over the year, which indicates a major change in air travel and raises questions for many.

If a trip to Miami cost 530 euros in 2019, this year the figure is 778 euros. And the cost of travelling to Bangkok has doubled over the same period.

At the same time, the price of tickets to two destinations - Dubai and Istanbul - has decreased. According to experts, this is due to an innovation of the Hungarian government, namely a tax on excess profits. In addition, fuel costs and rising wages also contributed to the increase in ticket prices. It is noted that some airlines have not opened routes from Budapest because of the departure tax.

Over the past 4 years, ticket prices have increased by an average of 46 euros for the most popular destinations from Budapest. These are Rome, Barcelona, London, and Paris. This is much higher than the average tax on excess profits collected by the government.

It is worth noting that the increase in ticket prices continues to be influenced by chaotic situations, as well as airlines' attempts to restore the level of passenger traffic that existed before the pandemic. It is noted that last year, Budapest Airport ended with a staff of 1600 employees, which is 200 more than in 2019. The most popular flight from Budapest was to London, followed by Barcelona and Rome. Routes to Larnaca, Naples, and Athens were in greatest demand.