Lőrinc Mészáros enjoys luxury aboard his newest 27 million-dollar jet

Lőrinc Mészáros rarely sings operatic duets with birds as he dresses for the day, nor does he befriend palace mice. He would likely find it challenging to find a glass slipper that fits just right, and that sparkling blue princess dress would surely clash with his complexion. And yet, this man is undeniably the Cinderella of Hungarian politics.

He was Viktor Orbán’s childhood friend in the village of Felcsút. He was but a gas and water-pipe fitter in a dusty village in Hungary. He neared bankruptcy.

Then, Orbán won the 2010 elections. Mészáros’ wealth started doubling annually. He became the Mayor of Felcsút. He oversaw developments — football stadiums and academies and infrastructure and property and hotels. His companies won public procurements everywhere. He got Chinese loans. He amassed a total of HUF 660 (1.7 billion USD) by 2024.

It’s all about getting to the top. The laws and the regulations are the friends you make along the way. He is a Drake lyric. He started from the bottom and now he is here, on our screens, on our radios, in our Parliament and in our stadiums, orbiting regularly around Viktor Orbán.

Recently, he’s been in our skies, on board various luxury jets.

In July of this year, a Bombardier Challenger 3500 private jet, registered as OE-HOZ, arrived in Vienna from Montreal and then continued to Budapest. This aircraft is a newer version of another private jet with the registration OE-HUG, which has been used by the Mészáros circle for some time. Both jets are operated by the Austrian AVCON JET AG.

Based on flight data, the helicopter OE-XWY, which frequently flies the billionaire’s family, has been regularly appearing during the take-offs and landings of both jets in Budapest.

The OE-HOZ appears

The private jet arrived in Vienna from Montreal on July 1 of this year. A few days later, it took a test flight around Vienna, and on July 10, it flew to Budapest, which has since become its base.

On the day the aircraft arrived, the helicopter OE-XWY, used by the billionaire entrepreneur’s family, flew to Vienna to meet the private jet, and both aircraft arrived in Hungary simultaneously.

On the return trip, the helicopter landed in Budaörs, not at Ferihegy where the private jet landed, which suggests that the Mészáros-related helicopter flew the pilot to Vienna, who then navigated the private jet to Hungary.

First flight to the Rose d’Or

The private jet’s initial flight, just two days after it arrived to Hungary, was to Hyères in the south of France and subsequently to Palma de Mallorca on Mallorca – where luxury yacht Rose d’Or, owned by Mészáros’s business interests, was also anchored.

The next day, the aircraft returned to Budapest, where the Mészáros-affiliated helicopter showed up during the landing.

During the summer, the OE-HOZ almost perfectly alternated with the OE-HUG. They frequently flew to the same destinations just a few days apart – destinations like Cannes and Mallorca. Both aircraft had encounters with the Mészáros-affiliated helicopter in Hungary and the Rose d’Or luxury yacht in Mallorca.

Mészáros flies from Zadar with the jet

At the end of August, the OE-HOZ visited Zadar, Croatia – another popular destination for the OE-HUG. As is well known, Lőrinc Mészáros, through a sports association in Eszék affiliated with him, owns a villa worth USD 2 million on an island near Zadar.

During Mészáros’s brief visit to Zadar, the Artemy luxury yacht, owned by a company linked to László Szíjj, was also anchored in the city’s harbor.

On both occasions that the OE-HOZ took off and landed in Budapest, the Mészáros-affiliated helicopter was alive and present.

After landing in Budapest, Lőrinc Mészáros boarded the helicopter alone and flew to the Budaörs Airport.

The video, obtained by Átlátszó, shows Lőrinc Mészáros boarding the familiar helicopter shortly after the private jet landed – and that private jet was the only  private jet to arrive at the small aircraft terminal at the time.

The smartest cabin in a private jet, for a low, low price of USD 27 million!

The Bombardier Challenger 3500, an updated model of the OE-HUG, was first tested on June 12, 2024, in Canada, according to records from the Aviation Flights website. At that time, it was still flying under its Canadian registration (C-GOWO). After five additional test flights, the private jet flew to Vienna on July 1, 2024, and then arrived in Budapest just a few days later.

This 2024 model costs USD 27 million. Its annual maintenance costs exceed USD three million. That is an hourly rate of USD 7,000, according to the Aircraft Cost Calculator website.

In return, passengers on the OE-HOZ enjoy just the most delightfully advanced features. A voice-controlled cabin, revolutionary Naugen seats (unclear about how a seat is revolutionary, but revolution is indeed guaranteed by the manufacturer), multimedia equipment that would make Christopher Nolan jealous, wireless device charging that allows one to charge and move at the same time with ease, connectivity options – the features are endless.

The jet comfortably accommodates up to ten passengers, with a cruising speed of 980 km/h and a range of over 6,200 kilometers.

That’s one way to travel. What did you do over the summer?

Translated by Vanda Mayer. The original Hungarian story is written by Kornél Brassai and is available here. Cover photo: OE-HOZ in Budapest in early August 2024 (photo: Jetphotos/András Szabó)