The launch of a weekly service to South Korea’s second biggest carrier’s (in terms of weekly seat capacity) international hub, Seoul Incheon Airport, is set to start on the 1st July at Budapest, using the airline’s 312-seat 777-200s. Expanding its presence in Europe, the Star Alliance member faces no head-to-head competition on this airport pair.

The Asian-Budapest market last year experienced an impressive 20% increase, with the number of Korean visitors alone increasing by 10%, having tripled over the last five years. Records show the real market size between Korea and Hungary as being over 100,000, mostly arriving by land presently, demonstrating the high demand for Asiana’s new link between the two countries.

Commenting on the significant announcement, Jost Lammers, CEO, Budapest Airport said: “We have worked extremely hard alongside the Foreign Ministry and the Hungarian National Tourism Office to secure this exciting new charter flight with Asiana Airlines. The launch of Air China’s service to Beijing last year saw the first point in Asia to be served directly from Budapest since 2012, and the confirmation of Asiana’s link to Korea reinforces the huge need of further connections to the East. I fully believe that this announcement is the first step in securing further capacity to Korea in the coming seasons.”

Source: Budapest Airport