Emirates to launch Dubai-Budapest flights

Qantas partner Emirates is kicking off direct flights from Dubai to the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

Using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 27 business class beds and 251 economy seats, daily flights begin on October 27 2014.

EK111 pushes back at 8:20am in Dubai, touching down in Budapest at 11:35am on the same day.

On the return, EK112 is wheels-up at 3:05pm and reaches the airline's global hub at 11:30pm, again on the same calendar day.

The flights line up perfectly for passengers jetting from Melbourne to Dubai with Qantas on the soon-to-be-retimed QF9 flight, which lands at 6:45am in Dubai.

QF10 is also a perfect partner on the journey home, taking to the Dubai skies at 1:15am.

When speaking of the new route, Tim Clark, President of Emirates, said: "It will introduce faster connections for our customers - both passengers and exporters – through our Dubai hub to numerous points that are currently underserved, including Sydney, Taipei and Phuket.

"These vital connections will inject new demand for travel, help boost bilateral trade with markets in the East, and magnify the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy."

Hungarian nationals now qualify for the visa-on-arrival program in Dubai, having been added to the program in March this year.

Those travelling on an Australian passport continue to enjoy visa-free entry to the United Arab Emirates.

Budapest is a financial hub in Central Europe, has the fifth largest economy in Central and Eastern Europe and offers a very favourable business environment for global investors.

The UAE is Hungary’s largest Arab trading partner with annual trade between the two countries pegged at around US$1.2 billion.

Emirates' recent expansion has seen the airline take the reins of its 50th Airbus A380 aircraft, with Frankfurt, San Francisco and Houston all joining Emiraates' superjumbo map this year.

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