The accession to the NATO presented new challenges to the Hungarian Defence Forces. In order to meet the requirements of the federal obligations, besides the protection of the state we must take a role also in conflict areas even thousands of miles away from Hungary. One of the basic conditions to achieve this, is that the forces offered need to arrive at the right area of application at the right time in a cost-effective way. The purpose of this article is to present an overview on how the Hungarian Defence Forces are able to meet these requirements. An important matter is whether the air transport capacity should be provided by our own capabilities or by other (civil or military) sources. In order to answer this question I am going to analyse the processes which have influenced the development of air transport capacity over the last 10-15 years.