Malév Hungarian Airlines

{{Short description|National airline of Hungary (1946–2012)}} {{Redirect|Malev|the military unit|Malev (military unit)|the Estonian film|Malev (film)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox airline | airline = MALÉV Hungarian Airlines ''Magyar Légiközlekedési Vállalat'' | logo = Malev Logo.svg | logo_size = 230 | image = Boeing 737-7Q8, Malev Hungarian Airlines JP6741729.jpg | caption = MALÉV Boeing 737-700 in 2009 | IATA = MA | ICAO = MAH | callsign = MALEV | parent = MNV | founded = {{start date|1946|03|29|df=yes}} (as ''Hungarian-Soviet Civil Air Transport Joint Stock Company'') | commenced = {{start date|1954|11|25|df=yes}} | ceased = {{end date|2012|02|03|df=yes}} | headquarters = Budapest, Hungary | key_people = | subsidiaries = {{nowrap|Malév Express (2002–2005)}} | hubs = Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport | focus_cities = | frequent_flyer = Duna Club | lounge = | alliance = {{nowrap|Oneworld (2007–2012)}} | website = https://malevairlines.com }}

'''MALÉV Ltd.'''<ref>It was previously '''Malév Rt.''' [https://web.archive.org/web/20060524235041/http://www.malev.hu/up/annual/malev_annual_report_2002_en.pdf]. The [https://web.archive.org/web/19980613212357/http://www.malev.hu/aboutmalev/artoc.htm 1995 annual report] refers to it as "Malév Plc."</ref> ({{langx|hu|'''Malév Zrt.'''}}), which did business as '''MALÉV Hungarian Airlines''' ({{langx|hu|Magyar Légiközlekedési Vállalat}}, ''MALÉV'' {{IPA|hu|ˈmɒleːv|}}), was the flag carrier of Hungary from 1946 until 2012. Its head office was in Budapest, with its main hub at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. The airline flew to over 50 cities in 34 countries with a fleet of 22 aircraft. Malév joined the Oneworld alliance on 29 March 2007.<ref name="FI">{{Cite news |title=Directory: World Airlines |work=Flight International |pages=46–47 |date=10 April 2007}}</ref> On 3 February 2012, Malév ceased operations<ref name="economist">{{cite news |date=3 February 2012 |title=Malev stops flying Survival of the fittest |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/gulliver/2012/02/03/survival-of-the-fittest |access-date=6 February 2012}}</ref> and on 14 February 2012 was declared insolvent by the Metropolitan Court of Budapest.

==History== [[File:Liszunov Li–2P repülőgép 1956.jpg|thumb|MALÉV Lisunov Li–2P in 1956]] [[File:Ilyushin Il-14 HA-MAD Malev LPL 080366 edited-2.jpg|thumb|MALÉV Ilyushin Il-14P in 1966]] [[File:Ilyushin Il-18 HA-MOA Malev LHR 03.07.65 edited-2.jpg|thumb|MALÉV Ilyushin Il-18 arriving at London Heathrow Airport in 1965.]] [[File:Tupolev Tu-154 HA-LCB Malev FRA 08.05.77 edited-2.jpg|thumb|MALÉV Tupolev Tu-154 departing Frankfurt Airport in 1977.]] [[File:Malev_Boeing_767-375ER_(HA-LHC_426_25864)_(8461455884).jpg|thumb|MALÉV Boeing 767-300ER operated from 1999 to 2009.]] ===Beginnings=== Hungarian civil aviation was pioneered by airlines such as ''Aero Rt.'' (founded 1910), ''Magyar Aeroforgalmi Rt.'' (Maefort) and ''Magyar Légiforgalmi Rt.'' (MALÉRT (mɒleːrt)). The widespread devastation of World War II forced these airlines to suspend airline service in 1940–44, and they were ultimately replaced by Maszovlet as the national airline after the war. Maszovlet was founded on 29 March 1946, as the '''Hungarian-Soviet Civil Air Transport Joint Stock Company''' (''Magyar-Szovjet Polgári Légiforgalmi Rt.'' also known as ''MASZOVLET''), as a merger between ''Malert'', ''Maefort'' and the Hungarian part of ''Aeroflot''.

The initial fleet consisted of 21-seat Li-2 passenger aircraft (the Soviet-licensed DC-3) and 3-seat Po-2 "taxis", used for precision air mail: sacks of mail were dropped from the aircraft when flying over its destination. In 1950, Malév's operating base moved from Budaörs to the newly opened airport at Ferihegy, where it remained.

On 25 November 1954, Hungary acquired all the Soviet shares of MASZOVLET, and renamed the company MALÉV. Ilyushin Il-14 twin piston-engined transport aircraft were acquired in the late 1950s. Operations were expanded, with flights extending to nearby countries and, following the 1965 acquisition of Ilyushin Il-18 turbine propeller airliners, and the subsequent 1968 purchase of jet-powered Tupolev Tu-134s from the Soviet Union, across Europe and the Middle East. In the summer of 1974, the Tupolev-154 was brought into scheduled service.

Even before the political changes of 1989 and the arrival of democracy, Malév had begun phasing out its Soviet-era planes with the introduction of the airline's first Western-designed aircraft, a Boeing 737-200 on 18 November 1988.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/1459455/Pannonian_Winds_of_Shame Pannonian Winds of Shame] {{dead link|date=May 2017}}</ref> With that, Malév was the second airline in the then-communist COMECON countries of Central Europe to operate a Western-built aircraft. (TAROM – Romanian Airlines started operating the BAC 1-11 in 1968 and the Boeing 707 in 1974. LOT – Polish Airlines was the third with its Boeing 767-300 aircraft launched in April 1989).<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft search. Boeing 767-25DER |website=rzjets.net |url=http://rzjets.net/aircraft/?reg=41426 |access-date=18 December 2023}}</ref>

The company's logo, which turned out to be its last, was designed by graphic designer László Zsótér (DLA) in 1986 and consecutively adopted during the following years.<ref>[http://www.trendguide.hu/?kult/817-csodben-a-magyar-design-legenda A Magyar design legend]trendguide.hu {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616153458/http://www.trendguide.hu/?kult/817-csodben-a-magyar-design-legenda |date=16 June 2013 }}</ref>

In 1989–1991, Malév played a key role in facilitating the emigration of Soviet Jews by operating charter flights from Moscow to Tel Aviv via Budapest. This operation, arranged in cooperation with the Jewish Agency, enabled over 160,000 Soviet Jewish refugees to reach Israel through Hungary during a period when direct flights from the USSR to Israel were not yet permitted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farkas |first=Dániel |date=9 January 2025 |title=Hungary, Soviet Jewish Refugees, and the Making of a New Geopolitical Identity, 1989-1991 |url=https://danubeinstitute.hu/hu/kutatas/hungary-soviet-jewish-refugees-and-the-making-of-a-new-geopolitical-identity-1989-1991 |access-date=25 June 2025 |website=Danube Institute}}</ref>

===1990s–2007: Modernisation=== The last Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft was withdrawn from service in 2001. In 2003, MALÉV began replacing its Boeing 737 Classic aircraft with 737 Next-Generation planes. It then ran a fleet of 18 Boeing 737 Next Generations, as well as 4 Bombardier Dash 8 Q-400s for short-haul routes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.malev.com/companyinformation/malev-history/short-history-malev-1946-2008 |title=Malév history |publisher=Malév.com |access-date=13 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101207050541/http://www.malev.com/companyinformation/malev-history/short-history-malev-1946-2008 |archive-date=7 December 2010}}</ref>

From 1999 to 2007, the Hungarian State Privatization Company ÁPV Plc. (Állami Privatizációs és Vagyonkezelő Rt.) owned 99.5% of Malév shares. The other 0.5% were in the hands of small shareholders. József Váradi was CEO from 1999 to 2003. He later founded Wizz Air. ÁPV Plc. repeatedly tried to privatise Malév, finally selling it to AirBridge Zrt.

===2007–2011: In private hands=== AirBridge acquired 99.9% of the airline in February 2007. It had 1,785 staff members, as of 31 December 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.malev.com/Root/MalevDocuments/ceginformaciok/annual_reports/2007_ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf |title=Annual Report 2007 |publisher=Malév Ltd. |access-date=13 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110104031823/http://www.malev.com/Root/MalevDocuments/ceginformaciok/annual_reports/2007_ANNUAL_REPORT.pdf |archive-date=4 January 2011}}</ref>

Despite Czech Airlines' offer to sponsor Malév as an associate member of the SkyTeam alliance, and MALÉV's codeshare agreements with several SkyTeam carriers, Malév joined Oneworld on 29 March 2007.

On 12 July 2007, Lloyd Paxton was appointed CEO of MALÉV. Paxton replaced János Gönci, who remained on the board of directors as an adviser. Paxton was the first MALÉV CEO to come from the airline industry. He had been with British Airways for over 35 years and more recently with Air Astana. Two months later, on 14 September 2007, Lloyd Paxton resigned as CEO of MALÉV, replaced by Péter Leonov.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Lloyd Paxton Leaves MALÉV After Two Months, Peter Leonov Is New CEO |publisher=Airliner world |date=14 July 2007 |url=http://airlineworld.wordpress.com/2007/09/14/lloyd-paxton-leaves-malev-after-two-months-peter-leonov-is-new-ceo/ |access-date=31 July 2010}}</ref> In January 2009, Ballo Anatoly Borisovich became the chairman.<ref name="Focus on Europe">{{cite press release |title=Focus on Europe |publisher=Malév Hungarian Airlines |date=27 August 2008 |url=http://www.malev.com/CompanyInformation/PressReleases/Article?Content=/Root/MalevContents/En/company-information/pressreleases/press-releases/2009/2/new-chairman-at-head-of-malev |access-date=13 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515005552/http://www.malev.com/companyInformation/pressreleases/article?Content=%2FRoot%2FMalevContents%2FEn%2Fcompany-information%2Fpressreleases%2Fpress-releases%2F2009%2F2%2Fnew-chairman-at-head-of-malev |archive-date=15 May 2009 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 18 March 2009, the Russian state-owned Vnesheconombank took a 49% minority stake in AirBridge Zrt., the shareholder of the struggling airline, and gave managing control to Russian flag carrier Aeroflot.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jaeger |first1=Thomas |date=25 February 2009 |title=Malev News Update |url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/6353-malev-news-update |url-access=limited |work=ch-aviation |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref> The Hungarian government retained 51% majority ownership. Martin Gauss, former CEO of DBA and Cirrus Airlines as well as a Boeing 737 pilot was elected CEO on 15 April 2009.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.malev.com/companyInformation/pressreleases/article?Content=/Root/MalevContents/En/company-information/pressreleases/press-releases/2009/4/experienced-german-airline-manager |title=Experienced Germaan airline manager |publisher=Malev.com |date=16 April 2009 |access-date=13 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504210241/http://www.malev.com/companyInformation/pressreleases/article?Content=%2FRoot%2FMalevContents%2FEn%2Fcompany-information%2Fpressreleases%2Fpress-releases%2F2009%2F4%2Fexperienced-german-airline-manager |archive-date=4 May 2009}}</ref> During the management of Martin Gauss, MALÉV reached a load factor above industry average among "traditional" airlines, comparable to that of low-cost airlines. One of the reasons of the departure of Martin Gauss as CEO of MALÉV was the benefit ceiling established by the newly elected government, led by Viktor Orbán, in 2010, where a ceiling of €8000 gross monthly salary (approx €5000 net) was set for all managers, governing state-owned companies.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 March 2011 |title=Lemondott a Malév vezérigazgatója |url=https://index.hu/gazdasag/magyar/2011/03/22/lemondott_a_malev_vezerigazgatoja |work=Index |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Varjasi |first1=Viktor |date=27 February 2011 |title=Továbbra is kapja pilótadíját a Malév-vezér |url=https://24.hu/belfold/2011/02/17/tovabbra-is-kapja-pilotadijat-a-malev-vezer/ |work=24.hu |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref>

In 2009, Malév became the second airline outside of the former Soviet Union{{snd}}after the Italian ItAli Airlines{{snd}}to order the Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100, when it signed a letter of intent for 15 planes with an option for 15 more. News organizations speculated that the deal was influenced by minority owner Vneshekonombank and partner airline Aeroflot. The order was suspended in 2011, one year before Malév ceased operations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/paris-air-show-superjet-100-takes-off-with-malev-order/87149.article |url-access=subscription |title=PARIS AIR SHOW: Superjet 100 takes off with Malev order |last=Kaminski-Morrow |first=David |date=15 Jun 2009 |website=Flight Global |publisher=DVV Media International Ltd. |access-date=17 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.airfinancejournal.com/articles/2946041/malev-ssj100-order-shelved |url-access=subscription |title=Malev SSJ100 order shelved |last=Winters |first=Patrick |date=7 Dec 2011 |website=Airfinance Journal |publisher=Hangar Holdco Ltd. |access-date=17 Nov 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/malev-orders-sukhoi-superjets/ |title=Malev Orders Sukhoi Superjets |last=Snyder |first=Brett |department=Money Watch |date=26 June 2009 |website=CBS News |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref>

The airline was renationalised in February 2010, with Hungarian state holding company MNV acquiring a 95% stake in the airline. The remaining 5% remained with AirBridge. In December 2010, the European Commission began an investigation into illegal government subsidies of Malév.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/12/21/351180/sceptical-eu-opens-state-aid-probe-into-malevs-financing.html |access-date=2 January 2011 |title=Sceptical EU opens state-aid probe into Malév's financing}}</ref>

===2012: Financial collapse and cessation of operations=== On 9 January 2012, the European Union considered the state aid received by MALÉV illegal and ordered Hungary to recover it from the company. The European Commission ordered MALÉV to repay various forms of state aid received from 2007 to 2010, totalling 38 billion forints (€130 m; $171 m), a sum equal to its entire 2010 revenue.<ref name="BBCClose">"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16866872 Hungarian airline Malev collapses]." ''BBC''. 3 February 2012. Retrieved on 3 February 2012.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120112045410/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-09/hungary-s-malev-airline-ordered-by-eu-to-repay-state-support.html "Hungary’s Malev Airline Ordered by EU to Repay State Support" 9 Jan 2012]</ref> At the end of January 2012, MALÉV announced that it could no longer fund its own operations, and requested more subsidies from the Hungarian government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/malev-begs-hungarys-govt-for-help-as-it-runs-out-of-cash-367577/ |access-date=31 January 2012 |title=Malev begs Hungary's govt for help as it runs out of cash |work=Flightglobal}}</ref> After having two planes seized at foreign airports by creditors, MALÉV immediately ceased all flight activity on 3 February 2012, after 66 years of continuous operation. The airline's total debts were 60 billion forints (US$270.5 million) at the time of shutdown.<ref>"[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/business/global/hungarian-national-airline-halts-flights.html Hungarian National Airline Halts Flights]." ''The New York Times''. 4 February 2012. Retrieved on 3 February 2012.</ref> The shutdown occurred at 6 am Western European Time on 3 February 2012.<ref name="Shannonwins">Flynn, Pat. "[https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2012/0204/1224311249374.html#.Ty0MSf7rPU4.twitter Shannon benefits from airline closure]." ''The Irish Times''. Saturday, 4 February 2012. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref> On 14 February 2012, the Metropolitan Court of Budapest declared MALÉV Ltd. insolvent. Hitelintézeti Felszámoló Nonprofit Kft. (Credit Institutional Liquidator Nonprofit Ltd.) received the appointment as the liquidator of MALÉV Ltd.<ref>"[http://www.malev.hu/index_en.htm INFORMATION ABOUT THE WINDING-UP OF MALÉV LTD.]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120218193107/http://www.malev.hu/index_en.htm Archive]) Malév Hungarian Airlines. Retrieved 16 February 2012.</ref>

==Corporate affairs== ===Business figures=== Before its closure, the airline had 2,600 employees and almost half of the air traffic at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.<ref name="BBCClose"/> In 2011 about 40% of the revenues at Budapest airport originated from Malév operations,<ref name="Kester">Eddy, Kester. "[https://www.ft.com/content/876eb3c6-4e90-11e1-8670-00144feabdc0 Malev grounds fleet over unpaid debts]." ''Financial Times''. 3 February 2012. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref><ref name="ReutersSwoop">Dunai, Marton and Gergely Szakacs. "[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malev-stoppage-idUSTRE8121JS20120203 Rivals swoop in as Hungary's Malev stops flying]." ''Reuters''. Friday 3 February 2012.</ref> and during that year the airline served 3.2 million passengers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-03/malev-stops-flying-after-66-years-as-hungary-cuts-its-losses.html |work=Bloomberg |title=Malev Airline Stops Services After 66 Years as Hungary Moves to Cut Losses}}</ref>

===Head office=== thumb|Malév's head office at Lurdy House MALÉV's head office was located inside the Lurdy House (''Lurdy Ház'') in Budapest.,<ref>"[http://www.malev.com/Root/MalevDocuments/Offers/win-terms_English.pdf Terms & Conditions] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415054014/http://www.malev.com/Root/MalevDocuments/Offers/win-terms_English.pdf |date=15 April 2010 }}." Malév Hungarian Airlines. Retrieved 28 February 2010.</ref><ref>"[http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-19963572_ITM Communicating change.]" ''Europe_Intelligence_Wire''. 12 January 2004. Retrieved 28 February 2010. "Varadi spoke recently with reporter Anita Benko at Malév's head office in the Lurdy Haz shopping and..."</ref> an office and shopping complex that opened in 1998.<ref>"[http://www.lurdyhaz.hu/index_magunkrol_text_eng.htm About Us] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303155158/http://www.lurdyhaz.hu/index_magunkrol_text_eng.htm |date=3 March 2009 }}." Lurdy Ház. Retrieved 28 February 2010.</ref> Previously the airline head office was located elsewhere in Budapest. In the 1960s and 1970s it was in ''Vörösmarty tér 5. (District V)'',<ref>''Flight International''. 2 April 1964. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%200914.html 519] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151124190608/https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1964/1964%20-%200914.PDF Archive]). "''Head Office:'' V. Vörösmarty-tér 5, Budapest."</ref><ref>''Flight International''. 6 May 1971. p. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200721.html?search=Malaysia%20Singapore%20Airlines 636] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151125195059/https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1971/1971%20-%200721.PDF Archive]). "V. Vorosmarty ter 5, Budapest, Hungary."</ref> and in the 1990s it was in ''Roosevelt tér 2''.<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. 26 March – 1 April 1997. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%200854.html?search=Malev 86] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130525021748/http://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1997/1997%20-%200854.PDF Archive]). "Roosevelt tér 2, Budapest, H-1051, Hungary"</ref><ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19980613212421/http://www.malev.hu/aboutmalev/rephazai.htm Offices in Hungary]." Malév Hungarian Airlines. 13 June 1998. Retrieved 28 February 2010.</ref> The airline signed a lease agreement in the spring of 2011 with Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport agreeing to relocate its headquarters to three office buildings between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 in the airport by the summer of 2012,<ref>"[http://www.bud.hu/english/business-and-partners/property Property development]." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20111224221527/http://www.bud.hu/english/business-and-partners/property Archive]) Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Retrieved on 11 December 2011.</ref> but these plans were cancelled due to the shutdown.<ref name="MalevHQEnd">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20120210015046/http://ingatlanmenedzser.hu/iroda/2012/2/3/Csomagol_a_Malev_a_Lurdy_hazban_DVHFGC Csomagol a Malév a Lurdy Házban?]" (). ''Ingatlanmenedzser''. 3 February 2012. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref>

===Ownership=== The airline was privatised in the 1990s.<ref name="WSJEnd">"[https://blogs.wsj.com/emergingeurope/2012/02/03/hungarian-national-airline-calls-it-quits/ Hungarian National Airline Calls it Quits]." ''The Wall Street Journal''. 3 February 2012. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref> In December 1993, ÁPV Plc. sold 40,316 "A" series shares to the airline's employees. In 1998 ÁPV Plc. held 64.089% of the company (4,929,954 shares), Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane held 30% (2,307,693 shares), Simest held 5% (384,615 shares), private entities held 0.333% (25,577 shares), and several local governments held the rest of the company. Local governments with stakes in Malév were Agárd, Balatonlelle, Budapest, Debrecen, Budapest District 5, and Budapest District 18.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/19980613225308/http://www.malev.hu/aboutmalev/arownstruct.htm Owners' Structure]." Malév Hungarian Airlines. 13 June 1998. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref>

In 2007 the Russian brothers Alexander and Boris Abramovich acquired 49% of AirBridge Zrt as part of a privatisation program of the Hungarian government. After the AiRUnion alliance of the Abramovich brothers went bankrupt in 2009, Vnesheconombank took over the Abramovich stake.<ref>"[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/malev-goes-bankrupt-owing-130m-to-veb/452339.html Malev Goes Bankrupt Owing $130M to VEB]." ''Vedomosti'', ''The Moscow Times''. 6 February 2012. Retrieved on 6 February 2012.</ref>

The government of Hungary re-nationalized the airline on 26 February 2010, after Malev experienced changes in ownership and financial difficulties. The government held 95% of the airline while AirBridge Zrt held 5%.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20110526003548/http://www.malev.com/companyinformation/introduction/ownership Malév ownership structure]." Malév Hungarian Airlines. 26 May 2011. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref> AirBridge Zrt was 51% owned by Kálmán Kiss and Magdolna Költő, two Hungarian individuals (very likely straw owners), and 49% owned by Boris Abramovich. Prior to 26 February 2010, AirBridge Zrt held 99.95% of Malév and minor shareholders held 0.05%.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20090211051554/http://www.malev.com/companyinformation/introduction/ownership Malév ownership structure]." Malév Hungarian Airlines. 11 February 2009. Retrieved on 4 February 2012.</ref>

==Destinations== thumb|Malev Hungarian destinations. {{legend|#ff5c5c|Hungary}} {{legend|#0066ff|Malev Hungarian Destinations}} MALÉV Hungarian Airlines offered scheduled services to about fifty destinations in Europe and the Middle East; charter flights were also flown. Flights to Africa, East Asia, and North America had been terminated. Services on the Budapest-Toronto and Budapest-New York-JFK routes were suspended in mid-November 2007.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=New York and Toronto flights suspended for winter |publisher=Malév Hungarian Airlines |url=http://www.malev.hu/BP/ENG/I_NEWS_ENG/2007-1029-1551-07PGDK.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101034442/http://www.malev.hu/BP/ENG/I_NEWS_ENG/2007-1029-1551-07PGDK.asp |archive-date=1 November 2007 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Then, on 23 July 2008, MALÉV announced the cancellation of the New York and Toronto flights; these had been operated since the early 1990s.

===Codeshare agreements=== Malév Hungarian Airlines had codeshare agreements with the following airlines, beside oneworld members:

{{div col|colwidth=18em}} * Aeroflot (SkyTeam) * Air Baltic * Air France (SkyTeam) * Alitalia (SkyTeam) * Bulgaria Air * Carpatair * Czech Airlines (SkyTeam) * Etihad Airways * Hainan Airlines * Moldavian Airlines * Rossiya Airlines * Syrian Air {{div col end}}

==Fleet== [[File:Boeing 737-8Q8, Malev - Hungarian Airlines AN1182714.jpg|thumb|MALÉV Boeing 737-800]] [[File:De_Havilland_Canada_DHC-8-402Q_Dash_8,_Malev_-_Hungarian_Airlines_AN1715295.jpg|thumb|MALÉV Bombardier Dash 8 Q400]] ===Final fleet=== MALÉV's fleet consisted of the following aircraft at the time of its shutdown on 3 February 2012:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.malev.com/companyinformation/fleet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111229191449/http://www.malev.com/companyinformation/fleet |url-status=dead |title=Malev official fleet page |archive-date=29 December 2011}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin:auto;" |+ '''Malev fleet''' |- !rowspan=2|Aircraft !rowspan=2|In service !colspan=3|Passengers !rowspan=2|Notes |- !<abbr title="Business Class">C</abbr> !<abbr title="Economy Class"></abbr> !Total |- |Boeing 737-600 |6 |19 |90 |109<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.seatmaestro.com/airplanes-seat-maps/malev-hungarian-airlines-boeing-737-600.html |title=Malev Hungarian Airlines Boeing B737 600NG}}</ref> | |- |Boeing 737-700 |7 |19 |102 |121<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.seatmaestro.com/airplanes-seat-maps/malev-hungarian-airlines-boeing-737-700.html |title=Malev Hungarian Airlines Boeing B737 700NG}}</ref> | |- |rowspan=2|Boeing 737-800 |2 |29 |139 |168 | |- |3 |— |180 |180 | |- |Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 |4 |— |72 |72 | |- !Total !22 !colspan=4| |} {{clear}}

===Retired fleet=== Over the years, Malév had in the past operated a variety of aircraft, including:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Malev.html |title=Malev fleet |website=aerobernie.bplaced.net |access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; margin:auto;" |+ '''Malev retired fleet''' |- !Aircraft !Total !Introduced !Retired !Notes |- |Aero 45 |1 |1949 |1957 | |- |Antonov An-2PF |1 |rowspan=2|1988 |2012 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |BAe 146-200QT |1 |1993 |Used as a freighter jointly with TNT Airways |- |{{nowrap|Bombardier CRJ100LR}} |1 |rowspan=2|2002 |2002 |Leased from Bombardier Capital |- |{{nowrap|Bombardier CRJ200ER}} |4 |2009 | |- |Boeing 707-320C |3 |1990 |1991 |Leased from Buffalo Airways and Export Air Leasing. Used as freighters<ref>{{Cite web |title=Boeing 707-es repülőgépet állított forgalomba a Malév - 25 éve történt |url=https://infostart.hu/belfold/2015/04/16/boeing-707-es-repulogepet-allitott-forgalomba-a-malev---25-eve-tortent-716716 |access-date=2021-01-15 |website=Infostart.hu |date=16 April 2015 |language=hu}}</ref> |- |Boeing 737-200 |6 |1988 |2001 | |- |Boeing 737-300 |7 |1991 |rowspan=3|2004 | |- |Boeing 737-400 |6 |1994 | |- |Boeing 737-500 |2 |1998 |Leased from Hapag-Lloyd Flug |- |Boeing 767-200ER |2 |1993 |2009 | |- |Boeing 767-300ER |3 |1992 |2008 | |- |Cessna 152 |2 |2006 |rowspan=2|2012 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |Cessna 172 |2 |1993 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |Douglas TS-62 |1 |1952 |1961 |Converted from a C-47 in 1956; written off as HA-TSA |- |Fokker 70 |6 |1995 |2010 | |- |Ilyushin Il-14M |3 |1957 |rowspan=2|1970 | |- |Ilyushin Il-14P |5 |1958 | |- |Ilyushin Il-14T |1 |2010 |2012 |Registration HA-MAL. Restored as tribute to Malév and on display at Aeropark aircraft museum. |- |Ilyushin Il-18V |8 |1960 |1989 |Two (HA-MOA and HA-MOG) on display at the Aeropark aircraft museum One (HA-MOI) used as a restaurant in Abda, then moved to Košice for restoration in 2014<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.origo.hu/itthon/20141117-elvittek-kassara-az-abdai-repuloettermet.html |title=Elvitték Kassára az abdai repülőéttermet |publisher=origo.hu |date=17 November 2014 |access-date=26 December 2017}}</ref> |- |Ilyushin Il-62 |1 |1991 |1991 |Leased from CSA Czechoslovak Airlines for two months for flights between Hungary and Japan. |- |Let L-200 Morava |2 |1993 |2012 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |Lisunov Li-2P |15 |1946 |1962 |One (HA-LIP) is privately owned and currently on display in Bócsa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HA-LIP - Li-2.hu |url=http://www.li-2.hu/?modul=html&content=HA-LIP |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=www.li-2.hu}}</ref> |- |rowspan=2|Lisunov Li-2T |9 |1957 |1964 |One (HA-LIQ) on display at the Aeropark aircraft museum |- |1 |1980 |2012 |Last airworthy aircraft of the type (HA-LIX). Now owned by the Institute and Museum of Military History, and operated by a non-profit foundation. |- |Maule M-7 |1 |2009 |2012 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |Polikarpov Po-2 |5 |1946 |1960 |Used as air taxies. |- |Tupolev Tu-134 |14 |1968 |1998 |One on display at the Aeropark aircraft museum One on display in Szolnok, and one on display in Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim. |- |Tupolev Tu-154 |18 |1973 |2001 |rowspan=2|Two (HA-LCG and HA-LRA) on display at the Aeropark aircraft museum |- |Yakovlev Yak-40 |5 |1987 |1994 |- |Zlin Z-142 |6 |1982 |2012 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |Zlin Z-143 |1 |2003 |2006 |Used as a training aircraft by Malév Aero Club. |- |}

== Accidents and incidents == * 23 December 1954: Lisunov Li-2P HA-LIF force-landed near Polná, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) due to icing; while landing, the left landing gear collapsed; all 33 on board survived (one person was injured), but the aircraft was written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19541223-0|title=HA-LIF|accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref> On the same day Li-2P HA-LII belly-landed near Bratroňov, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) due to icing; all 19 on board survived, but the aircraft was also written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19541223-1|title=HA-LII|accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref> * 13 July 1956: Flight 387, a Lisunov Li-2T (HA-LIG), was hijacked by seven people who demanded to be taken to West Germany; the aircraft landed safely at Ingolstadt Air Base with no casualties to the 20 passengers and crew on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|type=Hijack|id=19560713-1|title=HA-LIG|accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dunai |first=Futár |date=2026-04-02 |orig-date=1956-07-20 |title=Menekülési dráma a HA-LIG fedélzetén |publisher=Uj Hungária |location=Munich |page=1 |language=Hungarian}}</ref> * 13 October 1956: Lisunov Li-2P HA-LID was hijacked shortly after takeoff from Szombathely Airport by four armed men who wanted to be flown to the West; of the 19 on board, one died and two were injured.<ref>{{ASN accident|type=Hijack|id=19561013-0|title=HA-LID|accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref> * 9 June 1957: Li-2P HA-LIM stalled and crashed short of the runway at Ferihegy Airport while attempting to return following engine failure; no casualties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-lisunov-li-2p-budapest |title=Crash of a Lisunov Li-2P in Budapest |website=B3A Archives}}</ref> * 6 August 1961: Douglas TS-62 HA-TSA crashed in a residential area in Budapest while on a sightseeing flight due to crew negligence and loss of control, killing all 27 on board and another three on the ground.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19610806-0|title=HA-TSA|accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref> * 23 November 1962: Flight 355, an Ilyushin Il-18V (HA-MOD), crashed at Le Bourget Airport, probably as the result of a stall; all 21 on board died.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19621123-0|title=HA-MOD|accessdate=13 February 2010}}</ref> * 17 February 1964: VEB 14P HA-MAH was burnt out in a hangar fire at Ferihegy Airport.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19640217-0|title=HA-MAH|accessdate=26 September 2013}}</ref> * 19 November 1969: Tupolev Tu-134 HA-LBA overran the runway on landing at Atatürk Airport, collapsing the landing gear and injuring the navigator (in the nose); there were no other casualties, but the aircraft was written off.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19691119-1|title=HA-LBA|accessdate=26 September 2013}}</ref> * 28 August 1971: Flight 731, an Ilyushin Il-18V (HA-MOC), crashed into the sea on approach to Copenhagen Airport, killing 32; 2 survived. Dezső Szentgyörgyi, who was piloting the Il-18V at the time of the crash and also the top-scoring Hungarian ace of World War II, was among those who were killed.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19710828-0|title=HA-MOC|accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref> * 16 September 1971:Flight 110, operated by Tupolev Tu-134 HA-LBD, crashed near Boryspil International Airport, Kiev in bad weather, following two missed approaches, after a generator failure caused the crew to switch to batteries; all 49 on board died.<ref>{{ASN accident|id= 19710916-2|title= HA-LBD|accessdate=13 February 2010}}</ref> * 15 January 1975: Flight 801A, a Ilyushin Il-18V (HA-MOH), was being ferried from East Berlin to Budapest when it crashed on approach to Ferihegy Airport due to weather, poor visibility, poor CRM and possible spatial disorientation, killing the nine crew. * 30 September 1975: Flight 240, a Tupolev Tu-154, crashed in the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon for reasons unknown, killing all 60 on board. * 21 September 1977: Flight 203, a Tupolev Tu-134 (HA-LBC), flying from Istanbul to Budapest with an intermediate stop at Bucharest struck level ground on approach, probably as a result of flying at reduced power, unnoticed by the crew. Of the 53 on board, 29 died.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19770921-1 |title=HA-LBC |accessdate=22 September 2013}}</ref> * 21 October 1981: Malév Flight 641, a Tupolev Tu-154B (HA-LCF), struck the runway during a failed go-around attempt at Prague Airport, leading to a severe break-up on impact. No one of the 90 occupants died. * 29 March 1989: Two teenagers from Czechoslovakia armed with grenades and shotguns hijacked Flight 640 at Prague Ruzyně Airport, and flew the Tupolev Tu-154B with 15 hostages to Frankfurt Airport before surrendering.<ref>{{cite news |title=2 Czech Youths Hijack Jetliner to West Germany |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-03-30-mn-878-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=30 March 1989 |access-date=19 August 2010}}</ref> * 4 July 2000: Flight 262, a chartered Tupolev Tu-154 (HA-LCR), landed on its belly at Thessaloniki Airport in Greece. The crew had not successfully lowered the landing gear and the aircraft skidded {{convert|400|m|yd|abbr=off}} on the runway. The aircraft was able to become airborne again as the pilots applied full throttle. It circled until the crew managed to lower the landing gear and landed safely. There were no injuries, but the aircraft was written off, and was used for fire training until 2018, after which it was scrapped.

==References== {{reflist}}

== Further reading == * Foldes L., ''Five decades of flight : MALEV 50 years'', Gabor Peterffy, Budapest, 1996

==External links== {{Commons category inline|Malév Hungarian Airlines}} * [http://malev.com/index_en.htm Malév Hungarian Airlines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706202014/http://www.malev.com/index_en.htm |date=6 July 2016 }} {{in lang|en}} * [http://malev.com A Malév Zrt. sajtóközleménye] {{in lang|hu}} * {{official website|https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.malev.com}} (Archive) * {{official website|https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.malev.hu}} (Archive) {{in lang|en|hu}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malev Hungarian Airlines}} Category:Malév Hungarian Airlines Category:Defunct airlines of Hungary Category:Airlines established in 1946 Category:Hungarian brands Category:Airlines disestablished in 2012 Category:Former Oneworld members Category:1946 establishments in Hungary Category:2012 disestablishments in Hungary