Air Algérie is preparing to restart flights to Budapest after a five-year suspension, reconnecting Algeria with Hungary as part of its broader European relaunch strategy. Beginning Oct. 29, the carrier will resume service in the upcoming Northern Winter 2025/26 season, following a hiatus that began in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This time, the route returns in a new format: a triangular service linking Algiers, Budapest, and Vienna. The twice-weekly flights will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using the Boeing 737-700. Flights are set to depart from Algiers at 10:30 a.m., arrive in Budapest at 1:15 p.m., and continue onward to Vienna, with the full loop concluding back in Algiers by 7:00 p.m.
A Return to Central Europe
The Budapest route was originally launched in September 2016, but has seen several suspensions and adjustments over the years. Although Air Algérie filed schedules in 2024 for a possible daily Algiers–Budapest service, those plans never materialized.
By reinstating this link, Air Algérie becomes one of the few African carriers offering direct service to Central Europe’s Hungarian capital. Only a handful of African countries — including Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt — currently maintain direct air links to Budapest.
The Budapest–Vienna route is just one part of Air Algérie’s broader ambitions. The airline plans to launch several new routes in the coming months, connecting Algiers to long-haul cities like Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, New York, and Havana, as well as to regional African hubs including Libreville, N’Djamena, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam.
The carrier also intends to increase frequencies on its Abuja (Nigeria) service, which began operating on April 6, and relaunch flights to Addis Ababa. During an interview with the Algerian Press Service (APS) on April 28, Marketing Director Hosnia Kaoua confirmed these expansion plans as part of a larger drive to grow Air Algérie’s international network to 60 destinations by 2026, up from around 50 currently.
To support this network push, Air Algérie is expanding its fleet. The airline currently operates 54 aircraft, but has plans to add 35 new jets by 2040. These will complement the 15 aircraft ordered in May 2023, which originally included five Airbus A330-900s, two A350-1000s, and eight Boeing 737 MAX 9s. However, the widebody order was adjusted in December 2023, with the two A350-1000s swapped for three additional A330-900s.
In the interim, the airline has also relied on short-term leasing to maintain operations during aircraft shortages—a challenge that has impacted several African carriers navigating post-pandemic fleet transitions.
