China Southern Officially Opens Its Guangzhou-Budapest Direct Flight
June 26,2024-On the evening of June 26, China Southern held the Guangzhou-Budapest Inaugural Flight Launch Ceremony at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, marking the official opening of the first route from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to Hungary. After the new route begins service, China Southern will have 53 international routes originating from Guangzhou, including 11 routes to Europe, and 19 routes departing from China to Europe.
China Southern organized splendid ceremonies at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport for this inaugural flight. On the evening of June 26, representatives from the Peoples Government of Guangdong Province and the Consulate General of Hungary in Guangzhou graced the event in Guangzhou to witness and celebrate the inaugural flight.
During his speech at the ceremony, Han Wensheng, President of China Southern Group, highlighted that in positive response to the Joint Statement realsed by China and Hungary in May and with great importance attached to the Central and Eastern Europe market, China had made full preparations for launching the Guangzhou-Budapest air service. The arrival time of the Guangzhou-Budapest sector could meet the travel demand of passengers transitting via Budapest to other destinations in Europe, and that of the Budapest-Guangzhou sector could facilitate connections from Guangzhou to many other cities in China. The launch of the new route would significantly promote the economic and trade ties, cooperation in tourism, people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Located in the heart of Europe, Hungary enjoys profound cultural heritage and was the first European nation to join the Belt and Road Initiative. In recent years, the economic and trade ties between the two countries have thrived, yielding fruitful results through pragmatic cooperation. China now stands as Hungarys largest trading partner beyond Europe and the most important partner in investment. As the largest city in Hungary, Budapest is the countrys political, economic, and cultural hub. The opening of the Guangzhou-Budapest direct flight by China Southern holds significant importance in promoting the connectivity and exchanges between China and Hungary.
It is reported that the new route will be serviced by Boeing 787-9 model with four weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The outbound flight will leave Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 00:55 (Beijing time) and land at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport at 07:20 (Budapest time). The return flight will take off at 13:00 (Budapest time) and reach Guangzhou at 05:55 (Beijing time) the following day. The flight duration is about 12 hours.
To ensure the successful completion of the inaugural flight, the flight crew made meticulous preparations to meet the operational requirements of the new route. "This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Hungary. I feel immensely proud and privileged to pilot the inaugural flight to Budapest, witnessing a historic moment in the history of China-Hungary relations," shared Ji Ye, the captain of the flight crew.
Before takeoff, in order to facilitate quick check-in and customs clearance, China Southern established multiple check-in counters at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and increased guiding personnel, flight information displays, signboards, and other means of guidance to offer passengers prompt service assistance in terms of boarding documents, check-in procedures, and luggage. Additionally, it also paid additional attention to special passengers such as the elderly and children to offer them comprehensive boarding guidance, in an efforts to ensure seamless travel experiences for passengers on the inaugural flight through affinitive and refined services.
On the inaugural flight, the cabin was meticulously decorated to foster a warm and festive ambiance infused with traditional Chinese aesthetics. Passengers were treated to specialties blending Chinese and Western culinary cultures, including Cantonese-style clay pot rice with preserved meat, beef steak, and litchi jelly desserts. Interactive activities like sign language dances and an award-winning quiz were also held in cabin during the flight.