US$1.1BN INVESTMENT, 6.5M LOW-FARE SEATS & 67 ROUTES (5 NEW) 

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (17 Feb) announced it will base an 11^th aircraft at Budapest for S26 bringing Ryanair’s total investment in the Airport to US$1.1bn. This additional aircraft will underpin a record 6.5m annual seats, 67 routes (including 5 exciting new services to Dubrovnik, Krakow, Lamezia, Marrakesh, and Newcastle) and support more than 4,600 local jobs – including 330 highly‑paid local pilot and cabin crew jobs.  

This record investment is thanks to the Hungarian Government’s decision to abolish aviation taxes, since which, Ryanair has grown its traffic at Budapest by +15%, improving low-fare connectivity for Hungarian citizens, boosting inbound tourism/trade and creating thousands of jobs. 

Ryanair’s Budapest Summer ‘26 schedule will deliver: 

• 11 based a/c (incl. 6 Boeing 737 8-200 “gamechanger” aircraft) – US$1.1bn invest. 

• 67 routes, incl. 5 new – Dubrovnik, Krakow, Lamezia, Marrakesh & Newcastle 

• 6.5m low-fare seats p.a. – 300k (+5%) additional seats 

• Support over 4,600 jobs, incl. 330 highly‑paid aviation professionals 

• Europe’s lowest fares and widest choice for Hungarian citizens & inbound visitors 

However, the benefits of abolishing the aviation tax in stimulate low-fare traffic growth now risk being undermined by successive unjustified charge increases at Budapest Airport (+10% since 2024 alone). Ryanair calls on the Hungarian Government as the majority owner of Budapest Airport to replicate it’s pro‑growth aviation policies at the Airport by immediately reducing airport charges. If competitive airport costs are restored, Ryanair stands ready to accelerate its investment in Hungary – increasing annual traffic by +50% to more than10m seats p.a., basing 5 additional aircraft (16 total, US$1.6bn invest.), and creating 150 new highly-paid aviation jobs (480 total) across Budapest, Balaton, and Debrecen. 

To celebrate Ryanair’s 11^th based aircraft and 5 new routes to/from Budapest in S26, the airline has launched a 3-day seat sale with 100,000 seats at fares starting from just 11,500 HUF, available to book now via the Ryanair app. 

Speaking from Budapest, Ryanair’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jason McGuinness said: 

“Ryanair is delighted to announce the addition of an 11^th aircraft to our Budapest base for S26 bringing our total investment at the Airport to US$1.1bn – supporting over 4,600 jobs, including 330+ highly-paid pilot and cabin crew positions. This year, Ryanair will operate a record 6.5m seats across 67 routes, including 5 exciting new routes to Dubrovnik, Krakow, Lamezia-Terme, Marrakesh, and Newcastle – delivering unbeatable low fares for Hungarian citizens, visitors and businesses. 

This additional aircraft and record schedule is thanks to the Hungarian Government’s decision to abolish aviation taxes from January 2025, since which Ryanair has grown by +15% at Budapest Airport. However, the ability for Ryanair to continue investing in Hungary is subject to the Government (Budapest Airport’s majority owner) replicating its pro‑growth aviation policies by immediately reducing airport charges which have increased by +10% since 2024.  

Ryanair calls on the Hungarian Government to immediately reduce Budapest Airport’s excessive charges to ensure it remains competitive with neighbouring airports in Poland, Slovakia, Croatia who continue to lower airport charges. If competitive airport costs are restored, Ryanair could rapidly accelerate its investment in Hungary and increase annual traffic by +50% to more than 10m seats p.a., base 5 additional aircraft (16 total, US$1.6bn invest.), and create 150 new highly-paid aviation jobs (480 total) across Budapest, Balaton, and Debrecen by 2032 

To celebrate our 11^th based aircraft and 5 new Summer ‘26 routes, Ryanair has launched a 3day seat sale with 100,000 seats at fares starting from just 11,500 HUF, exclusively on the Ryanair app.”