The Hungarian Civil Aviation Authority, as part of the Ministry of Construction and Transport (ÉKM), has issued an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and operating license (OL) to Hungary Airlines KFT. This was published on the regulator’s website on 08JAN25. After the low-cost airline, Wizzair, it is the second airline with home carrier status at Budapest Airport. However, there are more questions than available facts about the ownership structure, business model, and the influence exercised by the Orbán regime.
Questions arise, for example, about the official owner of Hungary Airlines. According to local sources, it is the Chinese businessman, Wu Jiang, who owns more than a 50% capital stake in the airline. He is complemented and supported by his righthand, co-founder, Duan Bo, another Chinese national. The management also includes two Hungarian aviation professionals, Gábor Talabos and Gábor Varga, both well-known figures in the country’s aviation sector.

Opaque ownership structure
Other stakeholders include Beijing-based UTL Digital Logistics Co. Ltd., and the Hungarian state-owned Air Hungary Szolgáltató Plc., which became a minority shareholder in NOV24. Hungary Airlines aims to bolster trade and transportation links between Europe and China, in this way supporting the close ties between the Orbán administration and Beijing’s policymakers. The airline’s main task is to strengthen Hungary’s position as an emerging logistics hub in Central and Eastern Europe, and cement the importance of China’s One-Belt, One-Road initiative within the eastern part of the EU. The carrier’s IATA code is “HUA” and its call sign is “BUDAPEST”.
A project in line with Orbán’s policy
According to EU law, at least 50.01% of the ownership shares in an airline registered in the EU must belong to owners whose passports were issued in one of the 27 member states. In the case of Chinese-born Wu Jian, it is completely unclear whether he obtained Hungarian citizenship. The airline does not provide any information on this. A telephone inquiry by CargoForwarder Global to management remains unanswered.
The history of the carrier is also peculiar, as is its naming. The company, which was initially registered in 2021, began operations as Universal Translink Airline Hungary Kft. (UTA). Shortly after, it changed its name to Hungary Cargo Airlines Kft., and in the spring of 2024, became Hungary Airlines Kft. In MAY24, it recruited staff and started developing its brand image. Yet, its website went offline months ago, reports online portal, Világgazdaság.
The fleet plans also remain in the dark
Meanwhile, equipped with its AOC, HUA has commenced operations with a state-owned Airbus A330F, its sole aircraft so far. The freighter was purchased by the Hungarian government in 2020 for USD 57.5 million, and handed over to local budget carrier, Wizz Air. In this way, the Orbán regime was able to secure the air transport of urgently needed medical and hygienic supplies from China to Hungary during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ever since then, and on behalf of the government, Wizz Air has operated the state-owned freighter three times per week between Hungary and China. Now, the newcomer will continue serving this sector, complemented by occasional charter missions.