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New direct Beijing-Budapest air route opens with Friday landing

Xinhua, May 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

Air China's Beijing-Budapest route was officially inaugurated on Friday evening, when its Airbus 330-200 landed at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

Airport officials were on hand to greet the first flight, welcoming it with an archway of water as the craft glided into its slot on the tarmac.

Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Xiao Qian attended the welcoming ceremony.

The Airbus 330-200 can carry 207 economy and 30 business class passengers, and will be commuting between the Chinese and Hungarian capitals four times weekly.

On the way to Budapest the flight stops once, in Minsk, Belarus, but the return trip from Budapest to Beijing is non-stop.

Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers called the new route a historical moment for Hungarian air transport and the Hungarian economy, too.

"I'm sure the new flight will be very popular with tourists and business travelers," he said, adding that the air bridge between the two countries had great potential. Endit