It was a cultural celebration in Philadelphia International Airport’s (PHL) Terminal A-West on May 21 to mark the launch of American Airlines’ daily nonstop summer service to Budapest, Hungary, and Prague, Czech Republic. Before the flights departed for their destinations, PHL and American officials were joined by representatives from the Hungarian and Czech communities for festivities that included musical performances and traditional food.
“This is an amazing day after [more than] five years to relaunch these flights,” said Gabor
Simon, First Counsellor, Economic and Commercial Affairs for the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
American is the only airline to offer nonstop service to Budapest from the U.S. This year is also the first time since 2019 that passengers have been able to travel nonstop from PHL to Budapest and Prague.
“With these new cities, this summer, PHL will have the largest international schedule in its history – and that is primarily due to our hub partner, American Airlines,” said PHL Interim CEO Tracy Borda. “We
value our role as American’s transatlantic gateway. American launched the very first international flight from our airport and we share a very rich history together.”
“The launch of today’s new service further fortifies our Philadelphia hub as a key connection point for
our customers and the Philadelphia community to access Europe," added Cesar Marchese, American's Vice President of PHL Operations. "In fact, this summer we're proud to offer our customers access to nearly 20 daily flights to 18 European destinations, which is included in the 120 destinations we serve worldwide to and from Philadelphia."
Guests were given a taste of what they can experience in Prague and Budapest with performances by the Czech School Choir and Hungarian folk dancers.
“We are all aware that Prague and the Czech Republic have a lot to offer. I could give you a long list of the
tourist attractions you could see over there,” said Karel Smékal, Consul General of the Czech Republic in New York. “But the best way is to hop on one of those planes and see for yourself."
