As outbound tourism from China picks up pace, China Southern Airlines has announced expansion of its international services, with the launch of a new flight to Hungarian capital, Budapest.

In a press statement, the Hungarian airport operator says that with effect from June 27, it will launch a four-times weekly service from Guangzhou to Budapest. The route will be operated with China Southern’s two-class Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The aircraft will have 18 passengers in business class and 248 in economy class.

Balázs Bogáts

“It is a great pleasure to welcome China Southern Airlines to Budapest Airport and to introduce Guangzhou, one of China’s major hubs, as a new and exciting destination,” says Balázs Bogáts, CCO, Budapest Airport.

The new China Southern Guangzhou route marks the fifth nonstop service from Budapest airport to China, with China Eastern Airlines and its Shanghai Airlines offshoot already flying to Budapest alongside Air China and HNA carriers from Beijing, Chongqing, Ningbo and Shanghai.

“This announcement introduces our fifth Chinese destination for passenger flights, and we are confident that our new partnership with China Southern Airlines will contribute to strengthening ties between our two regions,” Bogáts adds.

“This new route will open a myriad of onward connections to South-East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, not only facilitating tourism and business travel, but also advancing key economic and cultural exchanges between Hungary and China,” he further notes.