After elections, private jets used by pro-Orbán oligarchs scattered from Budapest

Since the elections, private jets used by pro-Orbán oligarchs are no longer being stored and maintained in Hungary. Lőrinc Mészáros’s plane has moved its base to Vienna, László Szíjj’s private jet is now based in Slovenia, while the Bombardier Challenger 350, also previously used by Mészáros, is now up for sale with a $16 million price tag.

In mid-May, an airline pilot sent photos to investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, at VSquare, showing the three private luxury jets in the “NER fleet” — OE-HUG, OE-LOT and OE-IAV — parked together at Vienna Airport. Átlátszó has now uncovered further details about the aircraft, which were previously based in Budapest or shuttled between Vienna and the Hungarian capital.

Registered in Austria under the code OE-LOT, the Bombardier Global 6500 jet was first spotted in 2024, making trips consistent with Lőrinc Mészáros’s activities, such as visiting Bordeaux, home to a winery associated with Hungary’s richest man. Mészáros later confirmed the relationship to our newspaper after we sent him questions through the Mészáros Group’s press office following his trip to London.

According to our sources, the private jet left Budapest in early June, along with its support equipment, including kitchenware and bedding sets, which had previously been stored and maintained at Budapest Airport. This clearly indicates that OE-LOT has changed bases, although there is still no clear evidence of a new owner or lessee.

We contacted the Mészáros Group to find out whether its legal relationship with Avcon Jet, the Austrian operator of the aircraft, had changed. However, we did not receive a response to our questions. The operator also refused to answer when we asked whether they could confirm the aircraft’s relocation, and whether the jet – which had long been associated with Mészáros – was now available for charter.

This is not surprising, however, as discretion is paramount in this industry. Since our question concerned a business arrangement between two private companies, they are understandably reluctant to share the details with the public.

The end of exclusive use?

However, our sources close to the aviation industry claimed that the change of base and the fact that the aircraft has been parked in Vienna for nearly a month indicate that the previous contract with Mészáros’s company is no longer valid.

It is possible that Mészáros’s company is still interested in leasing the aircraft in the future, but only occasionally, and not as its sole lessee.

The theory that the private jet has been “returned” is further supported by the fact that Mészáros and his wife flew to Nice in early May on a smaller luxury jet, OE-HOZ.

Photo by András Szabó

According to our sources, since the change of base, OE-LOT has carried passengers other than Mészáros. They said the jet has taken off from Budapest on a few occasions without the billionaire on board. According to our information, Mészáros was not among the passengers on the jet’s most recent, week-long trip to Africa.

What about the other NER planes?

Of the four “most high-end” jets in the NER fleet, only one is currently based in Budapest. According to our sources, the private jet registered as OE-HOZ is used primarily by Dr. Zsolt Barna, chairman and CEO of MBH Bank, but others also use it. Earlier this year, for example, Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy and 4iG CEO Gellért Jászai flew to Israel on this plane.

The Bombardier Challenger 350, registered as OE-HUG and also operated by the Austrian company Avcon Jet, has not been used by Hungarian oligarchs since last summer. Starting in July 2025, the aircraft was stationed at the airport in Iași, Romania, and departed from there on every flight.

In October 2025, however, the private jet returned from its temporary “mission” and, after stopping at Pér Airport near Győr, finally parked in Vienna.

According to an aviation website, the luxury jet is currently up for sale: it is being sold for nearly 16 million USD.

Photo from a reader

After a long hiatus, the plane flew a round trip from Vienna to Linz and back in early April 2026, but since then it has been parked at the airport in the Austrian capital, awaiting its future owner.

The other large aircraft, a Bombardier Global 7500 registered as OE-IAV, was discovered by Átlátszó in December 2025. It was used by László Szíjj, head of the Duna Aszfalt construction firm, who also owns the Lady MRD luxury yacht.

OE-IAV made its final trip involving Hungary at the end of March 2026: the plane left its Vienna base for Budapest, then departed with its passengers for the United States, where, after a one-day stop in New York and a two-day stop in Dallas, it spent some time in Miami. Miami, incidentally, was a regular destination. The aircraft returned from Florida to Budapest the day before the Hungarian parliamentary elections, then flew on to Vienna, where it remained parked until the end of May.

Photo from a reader

After a one-and-a-half-month hiatus, the private jet was transferred to Maribor Airport in Slovenia, where it has been parked on the tarmac ever since. As with the other NER aircraft, it has not been proven that the jet has a new owner or lessee, but its long absence from Budapest points in that direction.