2 036 759 693 forints, which is almost 24.7 million PLN – that was the cost of Peter Szijjarto’s private flights, which were paid for with public money – Gyorgy Laszlo Velkey announced on social media. These figures are said to come from an audit conducted at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Controversy surrounding the former minister’s travel
Gyorgy Laszlo Velkey, a representative of the current Hungarian government, lists many controversies surrounding the former head of the foreign ministry. They involve not only travel costs but also distances. As the Hungarian deputy foreign minister pointed out, the cost of eight trips was below 100 million forints (over 1.2 million PLN) each; in nine cases it ranged from 100 to 200 million; and two flights exceeded 200 million forints (over 2.4 million PLN).
“During the ministry review we learned that the former minister, who swore to serve the country and society, rented private aircraft and how much Hungarian taxpayers paid for them,” Gyorgy Laszlo Velkey wrote on Facebook, where he published the full list of Peter Szijjarto’s flights that were supposedly chartered with public money.
List of 19 trips by Hungary’s former foreign minister using private aircraft in 2025:
- 2025.01.27-01.29. - Brussels - London - Abu Dhabi - 98 981 657 HUF,
- 2025.02.04-02.06. - Budapest - New York - Prague - 122 754 879 HUF,
- 2025.02.17-02.20. - Budapest - New York, Washington - Budapest– 245 906 547 HUF
- 2025.02.13. - Budapest - Belgrade - Budapest - 37 525 538 HUF,
- 2025.02.25. – Budapest - Geneva - Budapest – 27 727 329 HUF,
- 2025.03.03-03.05. - Budapest - Washington - Budapest - 121 426 125 HUF,
- 2025.03.06. – Budapest - Bratislava - Budapest – 18 059 755 HUF,
- 2025.03.17-03.19. - Brussels - New Delhi - Hanoi - Budapest - 160 575 282 HUF,
- 2025.06.04-06.06. - Budapest - Mexico - San Salvador - Geneva - Budapest - 202 039 586 HUF
- 2025.07.23-07.24. - Budapest - New York - Paris - Budapest - 150 677 303 HUF,
- 2025.09.12. – Budapest - Munich - Vaduz - Budapest – 53 468 458 HUF,
- 2025.09.16-09.18. – Budapest - Tokyo - Osaka - Budapest - 196 531 753 HUF,
- 2025.09.21-09.26. – Budapest - New York - Budapest – 160 024 129 HUF,
- 2025.09.28-09.29. – Budapest - Dar es‑Salaam - Budapest – 134 620 664 HUF,
- 2025.10.21-10.23. – Budapest - Luxembourg - Washington - Budapest – 125 799 353 HUF,
- 2025.11.12-11.14. – Budapest - Male - Beirut - Budapest – 32 320 711 HUF,
- 2025.11.27. - Budapest - Banja Luka - Budapest - 11 951 037 HUF,
- 2025.12.16-12.18. – Budapest - New York - Budapest – 134 932 591 HUF,
- 2025.12.08. Budapest - Istanbul - 1 436 996 HUF access fee.
Gyorgy Laszlo Velkey noted that the cost of the flights was not the only “absolute waste of money.” The controversy also stems from the distances the former head of the Hungarian MFA covered with their help.
“The incompetent government took over 2 billion forints from Hungarian taxpayers last year so that their pro‑Russian foreign minister could fly around the world in luxurious conditions even to places like Bratislava or Vienna, just two hours away by train. It’s absolute wastefulness,” Gyorgy Laszlo Velkey emphasized.
Similar practices have persisted for years
19 cases of private aircraft rentals for personal use – as Gyorgy Laszlo Velkey reports on social media – did not occur only in 2025. According to the Hungarian government representative, Peter Szijjarto also engaged in similar practices in earlier years. As the deputy foreign minister calculated, between 2022 and 2026, aircraft were rented 53 times, costing Hungarian taxpayers 4 865 701 595 forints, or over 59 million PLN.
