Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Hungarian flag carrier Malev ceased all flying operations as of 6 a.m. Budapest time today, becoming the second carrier in a week to fall victim to European austerity measures. On January 27 Spanair stopped flying after a rescue deal with Qatar Airways collapsed. A year earlier the Catalonian government approved a €10.5 million loan to help sustain the cash-strapped airline, but those efforts proved futile.


Malev’s fate became sealed when the Hungarian government withdrew its financing after the EC ordered the airline to repay state loans tendered between 2007 and 2010. The move forced the airline to shut down after nearly 66 years of continuous operation.


“Although until the latter days there were prospects to continue operation and the trust of our passengers is unbroken, our partners lost their trust due to the information published in last days and they started to ask for payment of their services in advance,” explained Malev CEO Lorant Limburger. “It is also known that the owner, despite the best intentions, is unable to provide additional financial resources to operate after the EU decision.”


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Hungary’s Malev Ceases Operations 

Malev stops flying.

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