Budapest Airport to Welcome easyJet's Relaunched Lyon Link As It Sees Increasing Tourism Demand from France

easyJet is to restart its popular route between Budapest Airport (BUD) and Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS). The year-round service will be operated twice-weekly, starting on 21 August 2024. easyJet previously operated the BUD-LYS route pre-pandemic (2019/2020), with an annual seat capacity of almost 50,000. Following the relaunch, Budapest Airport anticipates an initial 38,000 annual seats, while high historic load factors suggest demand will drive increasing frequencies, possibly as early as SS25.

In 2019, traffic on the route was predominantly inbound leisure passengers from France (90%+). As the service matured, it gained increasing popularity among Hungarian travellers, increasing their share to 24%, and a similar trend is forecast in 2024. 180,000 French tourists visited Budapest in 2019, growing to 193,000 in 2023; this corresponds to an impressive 7% growth on pre-pandemic levels.

"We are delighted to welcome the resumption of easyJet's BUD-LYS service," says Máté Ritter, Head of Airline Development, Budapest Airport. "The launch of a new French route is very timely and responds well to the trend of increasing tourism demand from France. In 2023, even without a direct route, there were 22,000 two-way transfer passengers travelling from LYS to BUD, making it one of BUD's largest indirect city-pairs in Europe. The proximity of Lyon to the French Alps, with many of its renowned ski resorts only a two-hour drive from the airport, is sure to attract Hungarian skiers and make it a popular route in both directions."