One of Europe’s fastest growing low-cost carriers, Hungary’s Wizz Air, is setting up an air connection between the capitals of Hungary and Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan from October 30 this year, the Budapest Business Journal reports.
“The governments of Hungary and Tatarstan have a mutual interest in developing air connections and the launch of direct services between such large transport hubs as Budapest and Kazan will above all stimulate business activities, thereby contributing to economic and investment development,” said Veronika Aktasheva, the director of strategic development at Kazan airport. “Along with that, of course, Hungary and Tatarstan are both attractive as tourist destinations,” she adds.
The possibility of connecting Kazan and Budapest by direct flights was first raised last year when Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, discussed the opportunity with Russian president Vladimir Putin. However, amendments to existing bilateral interstate aviation agreements were required for the move.
Opening the new route in addition to its existing flights to Moscow (Vnukovo) and St. Petersburg further strengthens Wizz Air’s place in the Russian air travel market. The budget airline has been very active in exploiting the air travel market opportunities of the former Soviet territories, and today it offers flights to and, in many cases, has bases in the Baltic countries, as well as in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The company’s UK subsidiary, Wizz Air UK, has previously announced that it is looking seriously into the possibility of launching flights between Great Britain and Russia.
Meanwhile, Kazan airport, with one more direct flight, will also benefit from the addition to its European network, which already includes Riga, Prague, Helsinki and Frankfurt-am-Main.
