Malév Hungarian Airlines has taken delivery of the first of four Bombardier CRJ200ERs that it has on order for deployment on new regional services under the Malév Express brand.
The new arm began services in July between Budapest and Prague, using an ex-Lauda Air CRJ100 on interim lease from the manufacturer. The fleet of 50-seaters will operate feeder flights to its Budapest hub. The CRJ is the Hungarian flag carrier's first regional aircraft.
"Our interim CRJ100 introduced our passengers to the regional jet environment," says Malév chief executive József Váradi.
The new CRJ200 will be used to start daily services from its hub to Bologna, Odessa and Venice. The new arm will also be used to add flights on existing services such as Prague and Skopje, and could take over loss-making routes such as Düsseldorf and Stuttgart from its parent, says Váradi.
Malév is also introducing regional services between Budapest and a number of points in the Balkans, Romania, the Ukraine and Western Europe.
The airline holds six CRJ200 options, which can be converted to the 70-seat CRJ700 if required.
Source: Flight International
