Over the last few years, despite ever-increasing competition Malév has managed to maintain its market position and increase the number of its customers year after year. During 2007 the company carried more than 3 million passengers on scheduled flights. The airline has been presented with numerous awards in Hungary and abroad, thereby confirming its status as one of the best European carriers with regard to standard of services, punctuality and baggage care.
The privatization of Malév was finalized in the first half of 2007, when a 99.95% stake in the shares of the Hungarian national carrier were purchased from the Hungarian state by AirBridge Zrt., a company founded and registered in Hungary. The objective of the new owner is to maintain the status of Malév as the flag carrier of Hungary, to guarantee the competitiveness of the airline and to ensure its profitable operation.
Malév became a full-right member of the oneworld airline alliance on 1 April 2007.
oneworld, the world's leading airline alliance, allows its members to offer their customers a wider range of services and benefits than any single airline can do on its own. This translates into an extended route network, the chance to accrue and use frequent flyer points/miles across a synchronized global route network, and the use of airport executive lounges in every part of the world. Accession to oneworld has opened up the world to Malév customers since by using the flights of the oneworld alliance some 700 destinations in around 150 countries across the globe become accessible via the alliance's combined fleet of nearly 2500 aircraft.
Malév continues to develop its range of online services. As a result of this ongoing development, from 2008 e-tickets are available on every route, plus online check-in and online ticket modification services are added as well. In addition, our customers can arrange travel insurance (complete with travel cancellation cover) direct from the airline's website. Most recently, the airline redesigned its website at the end of 2008 to make both its structure and image compliant with the latest customer requirements.
reMAke
Following privatization, from the summer of 2007 Malév introduced dozens of cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures in order to guarantee - despite the increasingly difficult external economic environment - the successful operation of the airline from 2008. As part of this drive the loss-making long-haul routes were closed down in 2008, and the fleet is being gradually restructured and integrated. Next-Generation B737NG aircraft, the core of the fleet, have been joined by cost-efficient Q400 turboprops with low fuel consumption indicators, flying on regional routes. The first member of the new turboprop fleet was brought into service on 29 November 2008.
Focus on Europe
The airline's new commercial strategy places the focus on the European and Middle Eastern markets, offering customers multifaceted travel products with dynamic and advantageous conditions adjusted to the changed market environment. Malév, as an interregional airline, is a bridge between the regions of Europe, supplying rapid and convenient connections between north and south, <br>east and west.