It never fails. The Hungarian public first learned about Viktor Orbán’s jaunt to Brazil to attend the inauguration of Jaire Bolsonaro from a Brazilian press release, not from the Hungarian government. On December 26, Folhapress, a Brazilian news agency, reported that “the polemical, controversial, and ultranationalist premier” Viktor Orbán had confirmed that he would be in Brasília on January 1, 2019. Bolsonaro, who promised to liberate his country from socialism and political correctness, is a man after Viktor Orbán’s heart.

As far as we know, all heads of governments were invited for the occasion, but, according to the news agency, only 12 accepted the invitation. Most of them came from South and Central America. The only prime minister from the European Union was Viktor Orbán. The star guests were Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, and Mike Pompeo, U.S. secretary of state. 888.hu reported that “Viktor Orbán was among some of the foremost political leaders of the world.”

In late 2017 the Hungarian ministry of foreign affairs and trade announced that Hungary and Brazil had been making strides to increase trade between the two countries, which was indeed modest and, since 2013, declining. In fact, according to the Central Statistical Office, trade between the two countries was minuscule. Brazilian exports constituted only 0.1-0.2% of all imported foreign goods, while Hungary’s exports to Brazil made up 0.2-0.4% of Brazil’s total imports. In 2015 Hungary exported $272 million worth of goods, while Brazil’s exports to Hungary amounted to $202 million. The trade situation hasn’t changed substantially since. Hungary apparently exports parts for streetcars, while the main items Brazil exports to Hungary are leather goods, tea, cocoa, and spices. Mutual capital investments are practically nonexistent.

Viktor Orbán’s sudden interest in Brazil was obviously not economic or financial but instead stemmed from his ambitious plans to play on the far-right international stage. For that reason he flew 20 hours round trip and missed the New Year’s celebration in his own country.

In addition to the perfunctory acts customary at such functions, Orbán had a private meeting with Bolsonaro, during which he invited the new Brazilian president to visit Hungary, which Bolsonaro apparently accepted. Otherwise, Orbán had a chat with Benjamin Netanyahu. Judging from the photo Orbán posted on Facebook, it wasn’t an official meeting. The same is true about his encounter with the U.S. secretary of state, with whom his meeting appears to have been even more fleeting. Although Orbán’s name was in practically all the articles written on Bolsonaro’s inauguration, the real star among the guests was Benjamin Netanyahu. He arrived in Brazil on December 28 and had a long conversation with the new president, whose visit to Israel is already set for March. In the last 40 or 50 years the popularity of evangelical, charismatic churches has grown exponentially in Brazil. By now they are the largest group among Brazil’s sizable Protestant population. And they are the most ardent supporters of Bolsonaro and, for religious reasons, of Israel. So, there is quite a bit of pressure on Bolsonaro to develop closer relations with Israel and to move the country’s embassy to Jerusalem. But there is a problem. Brazil is the world’s top exporter of halal meat to 57 Muslim-majority countries, with a value of $15.9 billion. And therefore the powerful Brazilian agricultural sector expressed its strong opposition to moving the embassy and to having cozy relations with Israel in general. The Arab League apparently told Bolsonaro that moving the embassy to Jerusalem would have political and economic consequences. In any event, as opposed to Brazilian-Hungarian relations, Israel’s interest in Brazil and vice versa is substantial.

Orbán’s trip made little sense as far as Brazilian-Hungarian relations are concerned, so the Hungarian media focused almost exclusively on the Dessault Falcon 7X Orbán used for the trip. Why the fascination? Because the Orbán government has desperately tried to hide the fact that they bought not one Falcon 7X but two. One was painted grey and was registered as a military aircraft; the other was hidden from public view. But Magyar Nemzet, already in March, suspected there was a second plane, which might be the official business jet Orbán so ardently wanted to own. By December Zoom.hu discovered that the aircraft was owned by one of the companies of the ministry of defense. And finally, with Orbán’s trip to Brazil, the Hungarian people could see the plane in its original cream color. It has a civilian aircraft registration.

So far I have not seen any estimate of the cost of purchasing, maintaining, and flying such an aircraft on the basis of which we can accurately extrapolate its cost to the Hungarian government. But here are a few data points. A used Falcon 7X, depending on its age, runs between $19 and $34 million. According to one of my sources, the estimated cost of maintenance is $75,000 a year. The same source estimates a one-time expense of $90,000 for crew training. As for fuel consumption, the plane uses 318 gallons of aircraft fuel per hour of flying time. Aircraft fuel currently costs $5.41 per gallon in Budapest. I figured about 20 hours of flying time since we know that Orbán’s plane left at 8:30 in the morning and arrived about 10 hours later in Brasília. A day later Orbán flew back to Budapest. So, just in fuel, this quick little trip cost $34,408, or 9,772,147 forints. By the way, a round-trip flight from Vienna to Rio de Janiero with Lufthansa costs $3,070. With Air France a round-trip flight to Brasília costs between $1,562 and $1,826. I’m not suggesting that the prime minister of Hungary fly economy. I’m simply citing these figures for the sake of comparison.

I remember lengthy discussions over whether it is more economical to rent private planes for specific occasions or to own one. I recall that the latter option was a great deal more expensive. But cost doesn’t seem to matter to Hungary’s puritanical prime minister, who in 2010 promised plebeian governance.

Source: Hungarian Spectrum