Oligarchs and ministers on private jets – a year in investigating luxury travels of Orbán’s elites

While Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán signals a simple lifestyle, members of his government continued to fly around the world in luxury private jets last year. What’s more, the teenage son of one of Orbán’s ministers even boasted about flying on a private jet on social media. Government-connected businessmen who grew rich through public procurement also enjoy flights on private luxury jets, including the most expensive one—a plane dubbed “the Ferrari of the skies,” which cost about $75 million USD. Here are Átlátszó’s most striking articles on luxury flights in 2025.

Átlátszó has been covering the luxury trips of the Orbán regime’s elites since 2018, when we revealed that Viktor Orbán, Lőrinc Mészáros, and their associates were traveling around the world in private jets and luxury yachts. Since then, figures close to the government have upgraded to even more expensive yachts and private jets. Government officials—most notably Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó—have also regularly chosen chartered luxury aircraft for official visits instead of more economical options. We continued tracking the luxurious travels of government figures in 2025.

Foreign minister posting train selfies while followed by a luxury plane

Péter Szijjártó was visiting the U.S. in early March on an official trip and, as usual, traveled on a luxury plane rented with public funds. Surprisingly, however, he took the train from New York to Washington and carefully posted photos of the journey on his social media page. What he did not post was that he flew back on the same private jet that had taken him to America, which returned him to Budapest the following day.

The ultra-long-range Gulfstream G-V private jet used by the foreign minister, with the registration number OE-IIS, has 16 seats and can carry passengers over a distance of nearly 12,000 km at a cruising speed of around 900 km/h. The interior layout of the aircraft is flexible, allowing it to provide reclining and sleeping space for six people during the flight. Due to the extra services and high level of comfort, the rental cost of aircraft similar to the OE-IIS is very high: for a longer, multi-day, multi-stop diplomatic tour, travel costs can exceed $300,000 or even $600,000 USD. (Approximation based on HUF conversion)

Minister of Economy doesn’t like economy class

We identified the private jets used by the Minister of National Economy—based on freedom of information requests submitted by 444.hu—for three official trips to Paris, one to Switzerland, and one to Berlin. For both large and small delegations, private jets owned by billionaires were chartered using public funds. One of the aircraft used by the Hungarian Minister of National Economy is the OE-HUG, which is linked to Lőrinc Mészáros and his business partner, winemaker László Kalocsai.

Following our article, Ágnes Vadai, an opposition member of the National Assembly, asked the minister why he traveled on expensive private jets instead of commercial flights. The response stated that “transportation is a matter of organization” and that Nagy travels “both east and west” in the interests of Hungarian families and businesses. The reply was written by Márton Nagy’s deputy, State Secretary János Fónagy, who added that “the best example of this is the repurchase of Liszt Ferenc International Airport,” which was preceded by several visits by the minister to France.

Viktor Orbán and his team using a private plane connected to an oligarch

In August, Orbán traveled with a large entourage to the Adriatic island of Brač for what was described as a strategic meeting. Accompanying the prime minister on the private plane were Fanni Kaminsky, a communications specialist and administrator of the prime minister’s Facebook page; Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director; and János Máté, the prime minister’s press secretary. While writing our article, we learned from Péter Magyar’s social media posts that the team went to the Adriatic not only to work but also to relax, as they were photographed on board a sailboat.

It was also revealed that the plane is connected to Mária Schmidt, a long-time Fidesz ally

who, over the past 15 years, has become one of the country’s leading oligarchs thanks to generous government funding. She now controls a significant portion of research and educational institutions, alongside various private businesses.

The PC-12 NGX is the latest upgraded generation of the Pilatus PC-12, manufactured by the Swiss company Pilatus. It is capable of flying at a speed of 540 km/h at an altitude of up to 9,100 meters and has a maximum range of 3,269 km. The single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft, which costs approximately $6 million USD, can be flown by a single pilot and can carry up to nine passengers. One of its main advantages is its ability to take off and land on relatively short, 600–700-meter grass, gravel, or dirt runways, allowing passengers to access smaller airports and islands.

Foreign minister’s son also travels on private jet

While Szijjártó completed his thousandth flight in 2025 on a state-owned military plane, his teenage son posted photos on Instagram showing him with a luxury bag worth $3,900 USD while sitting on board a private jet. We took a closer look at the interior of the aircraft shown in the photos and identified the private jet on which the foreign minister’s son was traveling.

We concluded that the aircraft may belong to the fleet of JET-UP Kft. and is operated and leased by Jet-Stream Charter or B. J. Aviation. One thing is certain: since all similar interiors belong to Cessna C-650 Citation aircraft, the jet in the photo of Szijjártó Jr. is likely that model or one of its variants. The rental fee for this type of aircraft is approximately $4,500 USD per hour.

Oligarch’s new private jet worth about $75 million USD

László Szíjj, a businessman with close ties to the government and owner of Duna Aszfalt, appears to have upgraded from an older private jet to a Bombardier Global 7500 luxury aircraft, which he used to fly to holiday destinations. His older jet, first used three years ago, left Hungary in early March, and its successor arrived in May. Although the plane is registered in Austria, its flight data clearly shows a Hungarian connection.

Manufactured in 2023 but only put into service in April 2024, the jet was valued at around $78 million USD at the time.

The current second owner was able to acquire the impressive private jet, registered as OE-IAV, for slightly less—approximately $75 million USD—this spring.

Depending on the interior configuration, the Austrian-registered luxury aircraft can carry up to 19 passengers and has a range of 14,260 km, allowing for nonstop flights from New York to Hong Kong or from Singapore to San Francisco, for example. What’s more, it is the fastest business jet since the Concorde, with a manufacturer-specified top speed of 982 km/h—or even higher.

Written by Kornél Brassai and Katalin Erdélyi, translated by Zalán Zubor. Cover image: Átlátszó / Kornél Brassai