The Airbus A330-200F plane will travel three times a week between Budapest and Chengdu in China, further boosting bilateral trade, Szijjártó said.

He added that Hungarian and Chinese companies would no longer have to wait for large international shipping companies. Hungary's government has used the plane to ship some 6.8 million coronavirus vaccines to Budapest in 2021, but as vaccines no longer need to be delivered regularly, a contract was signed this week for its commercial operation by Wizz Air.

The plane took off to China on Saturday morning carrying 10 tonnes of cargo and will return with 50 tonnes of mainly electronic and automotive components, Szijjártó said.