Significant Long-awaited Investments Begin at Budapest Airport

In the first quarter of this year, Budapest Airport handled more than 3.4 million passengers, 10.2 percent more than in the record year before the COVID pandemic, and the growth did not stop. The country’s most important airport handled 1.4 million passengers in April, reports Világgazdaság. A major series of improvements was launched in spring 2019, and over the past five years, the value of airport improvements has exceeded HUF 130 billion (EUR 336 million).

This spring, a new series of investments worth HUF 17 billion (EUR 44 million) will be launched, including the renovation of Terminal 1, and several infrastructure, capacity, and quality improvement investments related to Terminal 2. “We cannot compromise on quality in the future. This requires the expansion of our current capacity and the continuous improvement of the services at Terminal 2. Major works will start in May, laying the foundations for increased capacity in a number of areas, providing long-term passenger satisfaction and

ensuring that Liszt Ferenc International Airport remains the best in the region,”

stressed Kam Jandu, CEO of Budapest Airport.

Planning for a multi-story car park in the immediate vicinity of Terminal 2 is already underway. In addition, on May 13, construction work began on a number of projects. The airport’s sewage network is being rebuilt and the drainage system is being extended. In parallel, a new access road to BUD Cargo City is being built to improve cargo handling and provide direct and fast access between the complex and the M4 motorway.

The earthworks for the construction of a new apron to serve aircraft on the ground will also begin. The future extension of the apron will allow 12 aircraft to be served at the same time. Furthermore, Budapest Airport’s partners operating at the airport will soon be able to move to a new office building.

The airport has a unique growth potential in Europe, which is why the Hungarian state wants to repurchase it as soon as possible. The buyback is a fact, but it is uncertain when the agreement will be officially announced.

However, besides the government, cargo divisions of all three major Chinese airlines are interested in the airport.

According to Airportal.hu, the airport recorded 10,112 landings and take-offs in April, up 15.3% on the fourth month of 2023. They added that 36,153 aircraft movements have been recorded at Budapest Airport this year, up 17.8 percent on the same period last year.

General and specialized air cargo at Liszt Ferenc International Airport comes from the automotive, electronics, computer, instrumentation, and machine industries, but also includes finished products, components, pharmaceuticals, and the transport of food supplements. In addition to the above, Budapest Airport has also become a regional hub in the e-commerce supply chain, cargo director József Kossuth noted.

He pointed out that there are currently around 60 cargo flights per week to Budapest, but this includes movements by integrator companies (DHL, Fed Ex, UPS), and scheduled and charter carriers. He added that these are high capacity and well-loaded.

It is also known that

all three major Chinese airlines – Air China, China Southern Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines – are interested in launching dedicated cargo flights to Budapest,

and are working with all the big Chinese airports to build direct connections and links.

Via Világgazdaság; Featured image via Facebook/Budapest Airport