Ryanair announced today (9th February) that it will open its new Budapest base next Friday 17th February. The airline also confirmed details of record bookings on its 31 routes over the first 7 days since it released fares from as low as €9.99/HUF2,999 to/from Budapest, following the closure of Malev. "Loss making Wizzair cannot compete with Ryanair on prices, costs or punctuality," claimed Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary this afternoon at the InterContinental Budapest Hotel.

"A new civil association started its campaign to be able to launch a new national flag carrier with the savings of hundreds of thousands of private investors. The Facebook page has received 28.000 likes and thousands signed a petition stating that they are willing to pay for the start of a new flag carrier that will be owned by them. A protest will be organized at the weekend and probably it gets aired in some of the TV channels and hopefully it will get to more and more people. Of course only a small portion of Malev could be saved with such a method: it would be a victory to collect enough money for 2-3 planes.

The predictable passing of Malév triggered rapid expansion announcements from both Ryanair and Wizz Air. SmartWings, Air Berlin and others have added flights, with more low cost carriers positioned to pounce. All good for budget travelers as prices are driven down via increased competition. More consumer choice is usually good, but given the economic climate will it be a no frills future for the Hungarian airline market?


The curt closure of one of Europe’s oldest airlines is sad news for some, particularly 7,000+ stranded passengers and 2000+ employees of the Hungarian flag carrier. Industry experience indicates, and as current events are demonstrating, the majority of services handled by Malév will soon be taken over by existing airlines; and new carriers ready to gamble on niche routes from Budapest.

"Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers was surprised to learn of the comments attributed to Budapest Airport in the FT article yesterday evening. Therefore he wishes to redress the balance with a formal official statement to avoid any misunderstanding for all stakeholders, especially the passengers and Ryanair.

The place where Yamato performs is the space where people gather in the resounding beat of drums. The moments are born when the sound created by Yamato resonates with the pulse of everybody present. Ripples of pulses and gently overlap. The sound of drums, which were made of animal skin and ancient trees, some of are more than 400 years old, as the pulse or the Heartbeat (Shin-on).

"In public consciousness, Károly Ferenczy's name has been closely associated with the Nagybánya artists' colony (presently Baia Mare, Romania) ever since the latter was established in 1896. As the father of Hungarian impressionism and post-impressionism, and as an outstanding artist and leading master of the artists' colony, Ferenczy has rightfully been regarded as the founder of modern Hungarian painting.

"The IWC of Budapest invites members and newcomers to the February General Meeting: "Salon Day: A Day of Music and Mind" on Monday 20 February from 10 - 12 am at Budapest Marriott Hotel. Come enjoy classical music and an academic lecture from Dr. Lajos Göőz, professor emeritus, visiting professor of Wolverhampton University.

"Held in Mohács, the 'Busójárás' is a spectacular traditional event that has become a popular attraction in Hungary. It is both a celebration of the end of winter and of the occasion during the Turkish occupation when the villagers put on frightening masks to drive away the invaders. Children go along shaking feather and sawdust filled stockings. A medieval cannon is taken along and a huge fire is lit on the main square at dusk where a straw puppet symbolising winter is burnt.

In 2004 David Wilkinson started to produce high quality ‘bangers’ in Budapest for home delivery, including Plain Pork, Lincolnshire, Cumberland, O'Connell's Irish Tomato Chipolata, Wild Boar and Cranberry and Cocktail sausages. Made locally in a state of the art facility, with grade A pork and a meat content of 85%, he makes fresh sausages and delivers then to many homes in Hungary. To the delight of many expats in Budapest Mr. Wilkinson has just announced he is now offering Italian Turkey Sausage with fennel, plus 100% Beef Burgers, read on for more info.

Over twenty-five years since their formation, Dream Theater continue to cultivate, curate and protect their status as worldwide niche taste-makers on their eleventh studio album, which was produced by the band’s own John Petrucci and mixed by hi-fidelity magician Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Prince, System Of A Down). “We’re just having a great time on the road. Everything has really come together,” says lead guitarist Petrucci.

"American Airlines has just announced that it will cancel its Budapest (BUD) - New York (JFK) service, the service was scheduled to restart operations on June 15. The airline said it has taken the difficult decision to cancel this service in light of high oil prices and the weakened global economy, which has affected travel demand and the routes performance, we continuously evaluate routes to ensure we are maximizing our fleet and profitability.

"Budapest Airport continues to receive offers from airlines wishing to operate services to or from Budapest since the collapse of Malév on Friday 3 February. A series of airlines have already announced new services including: Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Aegean, Ryanair, Smart Wings and Wizz Air, thus contributing to the recovery.

"Only 12,000 out of an estimated 600,000 companies have registered with business chambers, although membership became compulsory from January 1 and the deadline for registration is the end of February.

"On 7 February 2012 Viktor Orbán gave his traditional ‘state of the nation’ speech, focusing on the past year. This was the fourteenth such occasion. At the beginning of his speech Mr. Orbán thanked all those who have stood by the country in spite of the criticism directed at it and its government. This was a reference to the four hundred thousand people who took part in the ‘Peace March for Hungary’ on 21 January.

"Journalists working for news website Index may again report from Parliament from February 13, Parliament’s press chief Anita Altorjai told reporters on Wednesday. She warned that journalists are obliged to honour the House rules and directives issued by the Speaker about the media.

"Journalists working for news website Index may again report from Parliament from February 13, Parliament’s press chief Anita Altorjai told reporters on Wednesday. She warned that journalists are obliged to honour the House rules and directives issued by the Speaker about the media.

"Telenor customers can be among the first to buy Windows-based Lumia handsets representing the latest generation of Nokia smartphones. Lumia 800, a high-end handset both in form and function, and Lumia 710, a model with classic Nokia design, will be available in Telenor showrooms as of 20 January.

"Countess Sofya, wife and muse to her husband Leo Tolstoy, suspects that his faithful disciple tricked him into signing a will leaving all his work and property to a Russian company."

"A newlywed couple recovers from a car accident that puts the wife in a coma. Waking up with severe memory loss, her husband endeavors to win her heart again."

"In Episode I, Darth Vader is a hopeful nine-year-old boy named Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is a brash young Jedi Knight. This first chapter in the Star Wars saga follows Anakin's journey as he pursues his dreams and confronts his deepest fears in the midst of a galaxy in turmoil."