Seen this morning on Malev Facebook's page ...

Dear Passengers, Dear Friends,

We hereby inform you that in order to minimize damages, the board of directors of Hungarian national carrier Malév Hungarian Airlines decided to order the cease of operations this morning. According to the decision, from 6 AM 3 February 2012, after 66 years of almost uninterrupted operation, Malév aircraft will not take off any more.

Until recent days, we had hopes to continue our operation, and experienced uninterrupted passenger trust, but financial information circulated in the near past resulted in a loss of trust from the side of our partners; therefore the normal financial operation of the company became impossible.

The passengers of Malév Hungarian Airlines will be informed by our customer service regarding their travel options and their compensation options. Please see the websites http://www.malev.com, http://www.bud.hu/english and http://www.kormany.hu/en/ministry-of-na ... evelopment for more information.

In the name of the management and employees of Malév Hungarian Airlines we hereby thank you for your trust, and express our apologies for any inconveniences and we are sorry that Malév Hungarian Airlines has come to this fate despite our best efforts.

Yours faithfully,

Lóránt Limberger (CEO) and all employees of Malév Hungarian Airlines

Wizz Air, the largest low fare – low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe announced today that it would provide a special rescue package to passengers impacted by the suspension of Malev’s operations by offering re-routing alternatives to/from Budapest.

Passengers who hold a valid Malev electronic ticket for travel between February 3rd, 2012 and March 24th, 2012 can call the Wizz Air call centre at +36 1 358 6565 to benefit from the 9900 HUF fares (all inclusive, one way). Seats are subject to availability and flights must be rebooked by 6pm February 13th, 2012.

Rebooking Conditions:
Passengers must have the Malev electronic ticket number available when calling the Wizz Air call centre to rebook their travel. Passengers will also need to present a printed copy of their original Malev electronic ticket (in addition to the Wizz Air itinerary), upon check-in for their Wizz Air flight. Passengers without a Malev electronic ticket will not be allowed to travel.

Additional charges apply for optional services such as checked baggage, pre-boarding, etc. Please check wizzair.com for these details along with information about baggage size and weight restrictions.


“As the largest airline in Central and Eastern Europe, we deem it important to extend a helping hand to passengers whose travel plans have been interrupted by Malev’s decision to suspend operations. In the past, we have provided similar support to passengers who have been stranded by failing carriers and we will continue to do so. We will continue to grow throughout the region, and are here to provide our passengers a reliable and trusted travel experience for great value and customer satisfaction”, said György Abrán, Chief Commercial Officer of Wizz Air .

Wizz Air, Budapest, Hungary, 03/02/2012