Starting March 30, Maltese airline Universal Air will operate two return flights per week on the Debrecen-Leipzig and Debrecen-Malta routes, establishing a direct connection between the cities, the press service of Debrecen International Airport announced.
According to their statement, the Maltese airline will operate De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft equipped with 78 seats on both routes. The first flight arriving in Debrecen from Malta will land on the afternoon of March 30, continue to Leipzig after a short stop, return to Debrecen, and then depart for Malta on the morning of March 31.
The flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays during the summer season.
Debrecen International Airport reported that passenger traffic exceeded 220,000 in 2024. Wizz Air operates scheduled flights between Debrecen and London, while Lufthansa connects Debrecen with Munich. In April, Wizz Air will resume its Debrecen-Tel Aviv route. Additionally, during the summer season, seven seaside holiday destinations will be accessible via charter flights from Debrecen.
The city of Debrecen welcomed the announcement of the new flight routes in a statement.
“The new airline and its two new routes can further strengthen our city’s leisure and business tourism, and air traffic can once again experience the dynamic growth it saw before the COVID-19 pandemic,” the statement read.
The city added that, in collaboration with its partners, it is working to introduce additional destinations to the Debrecen International Airport’s offerings.
The announcement from the city hall also highlighted that Debrecen’s tourism sector had a record-breaking year in 2024, with visitors spending over 690,000 guest nights in the city.
The number of visitors increased by 10%, while guest nights rose by 19% compared to 2023. Domestic guest nights accounted for 51% of the total, while international guest nights made up 49%, with more than 234,000 foreign visitors.
Tourism remains a vital part of Debrecen’s economy, with hundreds of businesses operating in the sector, employing thousands of people, the municipality noted.
