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In response to the wave of refugees, Budapest Airport contacted the embassies operating in Hungary, relevant ministries, authorities, and aid organizations to ensure that refugees arriving at the airport are treated in an appropriate manner. Rescue flights are launched from Terminal 1 in close cooperation with the airport’s police directorate and embassies. Since last Monday, more than 5,700 refugees from Ukraine have been able to return to their homes via Hungary.
This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute.
Terminal 1 of Liszt Ferenc Airport, which was closed 10 years ago, was reopened because of the Ukraine war. According to RTL, since the reopening, the terminal is still crowded with waiting refugees. They are provided with food at the airport before boarding planes. 70 airport employees have decided to volunteer to help the refugees and coordinate their arrival.
As RTL reports, mainly Indian and Nigerian refugees arrived at the airport on Saturday, most of them are students who studied at Ukrainian universities. Since Monday, more than 5,700 people have been able to leave Hungary on so-called “rescue flights.”
Refugees who arrive alone and not in groups and who wish to travel on commercial flights from Budapest, usually families, individuals, or couples, depart as usual from Terminal 2 where they are assisted by Budapest Airport volunteers and Terminal Information staff, as well as Airport Police Headquarters staff.
According to UN figures on Saturday, more than 1.3 million refugees have left Ukraine, with the second-largest number of refugees going to Hungary.
Due to the closure of commercial airspace over Ukraine and Moldova and flight restrictions over Russia, flights to and from Ukraine, as well as flights to and from Russia, are still not possible.
Budapest Airport is also collecting donations for war refugees. “Monetary donations can be dropped off at the donation boxes in the terminal buildings, donations in kind can be dropped off at the designated collection points. The airport operator will forward both types of donations to refugees in need,” Budapest Airport writes on its official website bud.hu.
Featured image: illustration via Csaba Jászai/MTVA
