MALÉV Express (also known as MAx[3]) was a short lived Hungarian airline and a subsidiary of MALÉV Hungarian Airlines, which was founded in 2002 and shut down in 2005.[4] The company was created to operate short-haul regional flights on behalf of MALÉV to the countries bordering Hungary, other countries close to Hungary, and some destinations in the Balkans.
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| Commenced operations | 11 July 2002[1] | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 1 May 2005[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Duna Club | ||||||
| Parent company | Malév Hungarian Airlines | ||||||
| Headquarters | Budapest, Hungary | ||||||
History
editMALÉV Express was established due to a new strategy of MALÉV of increasing marketshare in Central and Eastern Europe. Initially, fleet consisted of a small number Bombardier CRJ-200s. According to their plans, MALÉV Express flights would feed passengers from smaller markets into Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, connecting onwards on MALÉV flights, as well as its KLM/ Northwest code-sharing partners.[5] Long-term plans included that if MALÉV Express passenger traffic increased, Fokker 70s would also be leased alongside CRJs.[6]
On the original plans, Bombardier Aerospace would deliver MALÉV Express four aircraft, but in the end only two were delivered.[7][8] When it commenced operations in July 2002, MALÉV Express launched daily flights to Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Prague and Skopje, and from 16 September to Venice, Odesa, Timișoara and Bologna.[6][8][9]
Although MALÉV Express initially seemed profitable, with high load factors soon after commencing operations,[10] it became loss-making not long after. Passenger traffic was insufficient for MALÉV to sustain the subsidiary, and the Bombardier CRJ-200s were also more expensive than expected.[11] According to some opinions, due to the small cargo space, there were regular problems with the stowage of luggage.[4]
On 1 May 2005, MALÉV decided to cease MALÉV Express operations and incorporate its aircraft into MALÉV's mainline operations.[2] In 2007, the CRJs were decommissioned and sold.[7] The last MALÉV Express aircraft, HA-LNA, left Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport permanently in 2017, when it was sold to SCAT Airlines.[12]
When MALÉV found itself in a near-bankruptcy situation in 2011, the idea arose that MALÉV Express could be re-established as MALÉV's legal successor, but this was only an idea and MALÉV went bankrupt in 2012.[13]
Destinations
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This is the list of destinations that MALÉV Express used to serve before it ceased operations on 1 May 2005. The destinations continued to be served by MALÉV Hungarian Airlines.
Fleet
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Prior to its shutdown in May 2005, the fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier CRJ200 | 4 | — | 48 | HA-LNA, HA-LNB, HA-LNC, HA-LND.
All transferred to MALÉV Hungarian Airlines.[4] |
| Total | 4 | — |
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier CRJ100 | 3 July 2002 | 3 December 2002 | 1 | HA-LNX |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Bíztatóan kezdett a Malév Express". 15 July 2002.
- ^ a b Putsay Gábor (2005-04-22). "Malév: tartós fogyókúrára ítélve". Magyar Nemzet. p. 13.
- ^ "Malév vezérigazgatói interjúk 2000 évtől - 4. rész". aeromagazin.hu. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ a b c d "Malév Express :: Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér". lisztferihegy0.webnode.hu. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ^ "Bombardier Signs New Customer As Malev Hungarian Airlines Orders CRJ200". defense-aerospace.com. 2002-03-18. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- ^ a b Juhász Péter (2002-07-15). "Jól startolt a Malév Express". Világgazdaság.
- ^ a b "Feltámadás..." jetplanes. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ^ a b "A várakozások szerint teljesít a Malév Express". Napi Gazdaság. 2002-11-29. p. 10.
- ^ Bihari Tamás (2002-09-24). "Szeptember közepén új járatokat indított a Malév Express". Népszava. p. 5.
- ^ Király Béla. "Bíztatóan kezdett a Malév Express". mfor.hu - Menedzsment Fórum (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ^ Varga G. Gábor (2009-03-21). "Húsz éven át a turbulenciában". Népszabadság. p. 3.
- ^ AIRportal.hu (2017-11-29). ""Elena" végleg elrepült Ferihegyről". AIRportal.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2020-02-23.
- ^ AIRportal.hu (2011-11-24). "Összemegy a Malév, visszatér a Malév Express?". AIRportal.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2020-02-23.
External links
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- Malév Hungarian Airlines (in English)
- A Malév Zrt. sajtóközleménye (in Hungarian)
- Official website (Archive)
- Official website (Archive) (in English and Hungarian)