Ryanair and Wizz Air take over new routes from Budapest after Malev goes bankrupt

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair will open 31 new routes from Budapest, just one day after the Hungarian state operator Malev went bankrupt and stopped all flights last Friday morning (February 3) . Ryanair announced earlier that it would launch flights on five routes from Budapest, but after national Hungarian airline went bankrupt, the company decided to add even more flights.

Ryanair, which currently employs over 700 Hungarian pilots and cabin crew, will be holding an open recruitment day in Budapest February 7, inviting job applications from Malev pilots, cabin crew and engineers, according to its statement. More about Ryanair's new routes from Budapest. Low-cost company Wizz Air also announced it will invest USD 100 million to expand operations in Budapest and will resume flights from Bucharest to the Hungarian capital after Malev stopped all flights. Malev went bankrupt this week for unpaid debts totaling USD 270 million. Malev ran 22 flights a week to and from Bucharest. The decision to stop all flights today was precipitated by two Malev flights being grounded in Israel and Ireland for non payment of debts. Read more about it here. Alex Camburu, alex.camburu@romania-insider.com