Another blow for airport as Malév cancels route to Budapest
Malév Hungarian Airlines plans to end its three-times weekly service from Budapest to Cork from January 14 next.
The airline said it needed to optimise the use of short haul aircraft on shorter EasternEuropean routes from itsBudapest hub.
It had operated the Cork-Budapest link since 2005 and, this year, carried more than 26,000 customers.
The airport’s marketing manager Kevin Cullinane said he regretted Malév’s decision to optimise its aircraft on shorter, more frequent routes in Eastern Europe and Russia.
“Malév was good for Cork over the past two-and-a-half years and I’d like to think Cork was good for Malév in terms of their network development across Europe,” said Mr Cullinane.
He added that airport management will continue to explore additional Central and Eastern Europe destinations with its nine other airline partners into the New Year.
The chairman of Cork Chamber of Commerce’s aviation committee George Barter said he was both surprised and disappointed that the airline had axed its service.
“The Budapest route played an important role in terms of access to Eastern Europe and also with onward connections to many major cities in Central and Eastern Europe and internationally. We urge Cork Airport to make every effort to ensure a replacement is found as soon as possible,” he said.
Geraldine Aherne, Irish manager of Malév Hungarian Airlines, said: “We enjoyed an excellent relationship with Cork Airport Authority and local companies and I would like to thank the travel agents and passengers who supported the route over the last two and a half years. I hope our partners will continue to support Malév by availing of the daily direct service that operates from Dublin”.
Ms Aherne advised that passengers affected by the cancellation should contact their local travel agent or Malév Hungarian Airlines directly on 0818-555577 for assistance with re-booking already issued tickets.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
