Hungary has revived talk of working with Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT to restore long-haul flights from Budapest to the United States, after American Airlines resumed seasonal service to Philadelphia.
The Polish carrier previously operated transatlantic and Asian routes from Budapest, but the project ended after the network failed to develop as planned. Hungary now says it wants a year-round link to the US and has signalled it is open to discussions with LOT again.
American Airlines is flying daily between Philadelphia and Budapest until 5 October using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The return of that service has brought back debate over whether the Hungarian capital could support a permanent direct connection to North America, possibly with LOT’s involvement.
David Vitezy, Hungary’s transport minister, said the country sees strong demand from both US visitors and Hungarians living in America. He said a year-round connection is a strategic economic issue and that New York should again be linked with Budapest.
“We see increased interest from US tourists in Hungary, and we also know how many Hungarians live in the United States. At the same time, aware of the strategic business and economic relations between our countries, launching such a year-round connection is fundamental for us. I am very happy with the seasonal connection to Philadelphia, but I would like us to have a year-round connection with the USA, and New York should again be connected with Budapest,” said Davide Vitezy, Hungary’s transport minister.
Vitezy also said he had spoken in Warsaw with Poland’s transport minister two days earlier and that Hungary was ready to resume cooperation with LOT. “We had such a connection before, but the deterioration of Polish-Hungarian relations meant it was suspended. Two days ago in Warsaw I spoke with the Polish transport minister that we are ready to resume cooperation with LOT. We will look at different options, because our priority is to launch a high-quality direct connection to the USA,” said Davide Vitezy, Hungary’s transport minister.
LOT began long-haul operations from Budapest in May 2018. At first, it flew 2 weekly services to Chicago and 4 weekly flights to New York, while building Budapest as a possible second hub alongside Warsaw.
The airline later added Seoul and outlined a wider regional network to feed long-haul traffic. By March 2020, it planned new European services from Budapest to Belgrade, Brussels, Bucharest, Prague, Sofia and Stuttgart, as well as seasonal flights to Dubrovnik and Varna.
The model depended on a strong feeder network, but that network never fully materialised. The COVID-19 pandemic then halted the plan, and the long-haul operation struggled without enough regional connections.
The results underline the problem. On the Budapest-New York route, LOT operated 768 flights and carried 130,703 passengers. On the Budapest-Chicago route, 269 flights carried 40,132 passengers. Load factors on both Boeing 787-8 services were 67% and 59%.
By contrast, the Budapest-Seoul route performed better. LOT flew it 1,132 times and carried 233,010 passengers, with seat occupancy just below 80%. The stronger result reflected the large presence of South Korean companies in Hungary.
Despite the renewed political interest, a quick return looks unlikely. LOT is expanding from Warsaw, where it has launched flights to San Francisco and plans services to destinations including Washington and Boston.
The Hungarian side says the market is still large. In 2025, more than 630,000 passengers travelled between Hungary and the US via connections, underlining the scale of demand that could support a direct service.
For now, however, Budapest remains a case study in the limits of long-haul expansion without a robust short-haul network. LOT’s earlier attempt to build a transatlantic hub there was one of its boldest moves in Central Europe, but also one of its hardest to sustain.
