As part of an international collaboration involving Hungary Airlines, another Boeing 777 freighter is entering service, making Budapest an increasingly important hub on cargo routes between Europe and Asia, Világgazdaság reports.
Hungary Airlines’ cargo operations are expanding with the addition of another freighter. Air Atlanta Icelandic has begun operations with its second Boeing 777 freighter as part of the collaboration between Fly Meta and Hungary Airlines.
The aircraft is set to begin commercial operations in mid-June, marking another step toward Budapest’s development into an increasingly important air cargo logistics hub between Europe and Asia.
The Boeing 777-300ERSF cargo aircraft now arriving is a particularly interesting design. It was originally built as a passenger aircraft and subsequently converted into a cargo aircraft by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In the industry, the model is also known as “The Big Twin,” as it is currently one of the largest twin-engine cargo aircraft on the market. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority granted approvals for the model’s commercial use last year, therefore it is still considered a relatively new design, Aircargo News writes.
The aircraft is owned by AerCap, one of the world’s largest aircraft leasing companies, which signed a contract in 2023 for four such converted Boeing 777s with Hong Kong-based Fly Meta. Fly Meta operates in the ACMI and CMI services sector, meaning the company provides aircraft, personnel, and operational infrastructure to airlines and logistics partners worldwide.
The core of the agreement is that
Hong Kong-based Fly Meta leases the Boeing 777 cargo aircraft, while Air Atlanta Icelandic handles operations under the Hungary Airlines brand name.
This clearly demonstrates that Hungary Airlines’ current business model functions more as a logistics platform based on international partnerships rather than as a traditional, independent airline.
According to Air Atlanta Icelandic, the current expansion is also a milestone because last December the company became the first in Europe and the second worldwide to put a converted Boeing 777-300ERSF cargo aircraft into service. With the arrival of the second aircraft, the company’s fleet, geared toward long-haul cargo transport, continues to grow.
Hungary Airlines took delivery of its first converted Airbus A330-200(P2F) cargo aircraft this spring. The aircraft was provided by the Chinese company ZTO Express as part of a partnership and is primarily used for e-commerce freight transport between Europe and China. The main objective of the flights is the rapid transport of the rapidly growing volume of Chinese e-commerce shipments, which currently represent one of the most dynamically growing segments in global air cargo traffic.
Hungary Airlines is thus no longer appearing on the market merely as a Hungarian or European player, but increasingly as a partner to Chinese logistics networks.
Last year, the company launched direct cargo flights between Budapest and Chengdu, which are currently operated five times a week using Airbus A330F aircraft. In its very first year of operation, Hungary Airlines carried approximately 13,000 tons of cargo and logged over 4,600 flight hours.
Borítókép: Illustration. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
