Debrecen4U
March 12, 2026
Debrecen Airport Seeks to Ramp Up Traffic and Passenger Numbers
In December it was announced that Wizz Air would restart three previously suspended routes from spring: the Tel Aviv service was planned to operate three times a week from the end of March, however, that is not possible for now due to the situation that has developed in the Middle East. From the beginning of May, flights will operate twice weekly from Debrecen to Eindhoven. The third returning route will be the Istanbul service. Based on previous experience, these destinations functioned well both for outbound and inbound travel, which is why they will become available again, as discussed at the Tourism Season Opening Conference held on March 12.
“We hope that the global economic and political situation will stabilise, allowing these routes to strengthen again. It is also good news that the London service will operate four times a week. We also see great potential in Istanbul, as it has one of the largest airports on the ‘European hub’, so the tourism arriving from there will also have significant added value,” said László Tamás, Head of Route Development at Corvinus Nemzetközi Befektetési Zrt.
The possibility of expanding the offer with additional destinations is also continuously being examined. The goal is for Debrecen International Airport to reach one million passengers by 2030.
The development of the Debrecen airport is also of particular importance to the Hungarian Tourism Agency.
The organisation’s chairman said that the number of tourists arriving in Budapest has increased significantly since Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport returned to state ownership. Airlines have filled at least half of the available seats, while the Tourism Agency has filled the other half through marketing tools. This year the agency is also providing HUF 1 billion in marketing support to Debrecen Airport.
“Budapest is full. Sármellék and Debrecen – in the coming years we will devote all our efforts to boosting these two airports with tourists,” pointed out Zoltán Guller, Chairman of the Board of the Hungarian Tourism Agency.
Tourism recorded a record year last year: 20 million visitors arrived in Hungary, and the aim is no longer to attract more than this. Instead of quantity, the agency is focusing on quality tourism. The next ten years will be characterised by tourism in Europe, as well as in the United States and the Far East, where more people are expected to travel. The conference was also attended by János Fónagy, Deputy Minister for National Economy, who said that tourism is now one of the strategic sectors of the Hungarian economy.
“According to the latest data, tourism-related sectors – accommodation services, hospitality, passenger transport, sports and cultural services – account for 6.8 per cent of the gross output of the Hungarian economy, which represents a performance of HUF 10,529 billion,” emphasised János Fónagy, Deputy Minister for National Economy.
The deputy minister added that in 2024 tourism-related sectors provided employment for more than 440,000 people and more than 32,000 businesses operated in this field, ensuring the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of families.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
