Debrecen has become an important European destination thanks to Lufthansa’s investment in the city two years ago.
Since the German airline launched its first direct flight in 2016, three large German companies have chosen to invest in Hungary's second-largest city, helping Debrecen’s tourism and industry grow exponentially.
Lufthansa is one of the most popular airlines in Hungary. The German company has seen strong growth in the country, with an eight percent rise in passenger numbers to 1.75 million on Hungarian routes in 2017.
The airline currently has six daily flights to Frankfurt and five a week to Munich. It also plans to operate 178 flights a week to and from Hungary this year.
Official figures show that the overall number of passengers arriving in Debrecen rose by 12 percent last year, reaching 320,000, and that number is set to increase to 360,000 in 2018.
According to reports, the strong growth can be attributed to new flights operated by Wizz Air and Lufthansa. Debrecen now has direct flights to eight key tourist regions in Europe and Israel.
Liszt Ferenc International airport still remains Hungary’s largest airport. Last year, it saw its best year ever with passenger numbers increasing by 14 percent year-on-year to 13.1 million in 2017, 50 percent above the numbers seen in 2013 levels.
Debrecen competes with two nearby airports, Kosice in Slovakia and Oradea in Romania. Kosice Airport registered 500,000 passengers last year, which is down 20 percent from 2008.