Budapest Airport has announced that Canadian tour operator Panorama Travel & Tours Ltd (www.FlyCentralEurope.com), will start direct flights from Toronto’s Hamilton’s International Airport, Ontario, Canada, commencing 29 May 2011.

Panorama Travel & Tours Ltd has been successfully providing Canadian and international travellers with tourist services for the last 21 years. Specialising in the Central & Eastern European market, Panorama has gained a reputation as one of the leading tour-operators for Central European destinations in Canada. www.FlyCentralEurope.com is its most recent undertaking, operating direct charter flights to selected Central European cities including Budapest, Prague and Krakow.

The flights will be operated by Panorama’s airline partner, Air Italy Group, utilising a 253-seat Boeing 767-200 configured with 241 seats in economy and 12 seats in Club Class. Flying time between the two cities is 8hrs 40mins. Lead in return fares start from US$1013.00 including taxes (approx €738.00). Tickets can be purchased at www.FlyCentralEurope.com.

“We are delighted to introduce our first direct flights from Canada,” said Patrick Bohl, Head of Airline Development and Strategy for Budapest Airport. “This is an important cultural connection for both Budapest and Hamilton as there is a large ethnic Hungarian population in Ontario, which will appreciate non-stop flights. Central Europe is an increasingly popular holiday destination for Canadian Tourists wishing to experience the attractions and history of this part of Europe.”

Hamilton International Airport’s Director Air Service Development & Marketing, Karen Medweth said: “Our passengers have long cited Budapest as a preferred destination in Central Europe so we are thrilled to see these direct flights available from Hamilton.”

“Our aim is continued promotion of Central Europe to the North American and Canadian markets and vice versa,” said Ziggy Kucharaski, Vice-President of Panorama Travel & Tours. “We are confident that these unique, niche flights to Budapest will be very well received by the significant ethnic communities.”

Ends

About Budapest Airport

In 2010 Budapest Airport served almost 8.2 million passengers through scheduled, charter and general aviation services.

Budapest Airport Zrt. owns and operates Ferihegy airport. This is a public private partnership with the Hungarian State holding 25% and the remaining 75 percent sitting in the hands of the German company HOCHTIEF AirPort, one of the world’s biggest independent airport managers and a further four financial investors: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Montreal; GIC Special Investments, Singapore; and KfW IPEX-Bank, Frankfurt. In July 2008, Aero Investment S.á.r.l. became a new shareholder.

Through its BUD Future project Budapest Airport aims to be the aviation hub of the CEE region. Leading projects include:

SkyCourt – a new centrally located building which, when open in March 2011, will link the existing terminals 2a and 2b. SkyCourt will double the commercial area of the terminals and provide a wide range of retail outlets, international brands and an improved food and beverage offering. The contemporary glass structure will also offer an impressive view of the apron and aims to provide passengers with a unique travel experience.
Cargo City – New on-airport cargo facilities will feature 120,000 sqm of cargo and logistics terminals designed for airlines, handlers and integrators.

Budapest Airport incorporates two terminals. Terminal 1 is a dedicated low cost carrier terminal and Terminal 2 services the traditional carriers. The airport is also the base for Malev, Hungary’s national airline and part of the One World alliance and is home to a further 33 airlines, serving over 90 destinations which represents 40 countries world wide.

www.bud.hu

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