Debrecen Airport takes off: new flights, major developments and growing cargo traffic

The location of Debrecen Airport makes it ideal for the region’s largest airport, and it is being upgraded accordingly, with new flights to a popular holiday destination and a visible increase in Chinese cargo traffic.

Direct flight from Debrecen Airport to Malta

On Sunday afternoon, the first scheduled Universal Air flight from Malta arrived at Debrecen International Airport. Starting March 30, the Maltese airline will operate two weekly round-trip services on the Debrecen–Leipzig and Debrecen–Malta routes, using 78-seat De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft, thus providing direct connections between these cities. After a short stop in Debrecen, the first Malta–Debrecen flight continued on to Leipzig, then returned to Debrecen before departing again for Malta on March 31. According to TurizmusOnline, during the summer season, these flights will run on Thursdays and Sundays.

Continuous infrastructure development

Similar to last year, the airport anticipates more than 300,000 passengers in 2024. While this represents little change from previous years, operators are optimistic that the arrival of new routes and ongoing enhancements will lead to significant growth in the coming years.

During the ceremonial welcome, it was announced that the airport’s expansion is set to begin soon, including the design of a new runway, taxiways, and a modern airport navigation system. Beyond technical enhancements, the expansion also addresses passenger needs: the existing terminal building has already been enlarged, allowing up to four simultaneous departures. This development lays the groundwork for eventually restoring passenger numbers to their 2019 level, which exceeded 600,000 annually.

Growing cargo traffic and ties to China

The Ministry for National Economy and the City of Debrecen view the airport’s mid-term transformation into the region’s leading gateway for passenger and cargo transport as a strategic objective. Debrecen’s advantageous road and rail connections and ongoing development projects greatly support this vision.

Debrecen is not only seeing an increase in passenger traffic; cargo operations are also expanding. On November 19, the first Chinese cargo flight—a Boeing 757 carrying 30 tons of e-commerce goods—landed in the city. The airport holds all the necessary permits, and the infrastructure required for cargo operations has been completed, making Debrecen International Airport a promising hub for air freight.

In recent months, more than thirty cargo flights have arrived from China, operating twice weekly and delivering around one thousand tons of goods to the county seat. These developments underline Debrecen’s increasingly important role in air transportation in Eastern Hungary and the broader region.

As we wrote earlier, you can travel to Malta, Munich, and Corfu from another countryside Hungarian city, free airport shuttle bus is available, details HERE.