January 29, 2010
Hungarian national carrier Malév's passenger numbers rose 6 pct to 3.3 million in 2009, and growth in the first quarter of 2010 is expected to be in the double digits, Malév told MTI on January 25.
Malév's market share of scheduled and charter flights in Hungary rose 2 percentage points to 43.5 pct in 2010.
Malév attributed the growth to a sales strategy introduced at the beginning of 2009. Pricing under the strategy put the airline in competition with low-fare airlines flying from Budapest.
Occupancy on Malév flights to destinations in Europe and the Middle East rose two percentage points to 66.5 pct in 2009, said deputy-CEO in charge of sales Karim Makhlouf.
