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Terminal 1 at Budapest Airport, which was closed nine years ago, will open in 2024, according to plans, and remain in operation until the new Terminal 3 is built. The new terminal will be ready to receive passengers in 2028 at the earliest. Chris Dinsdale, CEO of Budapest Airport, spoke to AIRportal.hu about the plans.
As restrictions due to the pandemic started to ease, more and more passengers have arrived and are arriving at Budapest Airport. This is why a new terminal is needed.
We have been preparing for months for the increase in passenger numbers, and we are constantly recruiting colleagues to strengthen terminal operations so that passengers receive the right guidance and support when they arrive at the airport,”
Chris Dinsdale said, adding that they also “have increased the number of security corridors by two over the past two years, are working on two more, and are also increasing the number of check-in counters.”
Dinsdale also mentioned that “the new Pier 1 can handle 5,000 passengers at a time, and in the summer of 2019, this facility was not yet operational.”
We aim to reopen Terminal 1 by summer 2024,”
he also stated, adding:
The plans for Terminal 1 are fully complete; the approval process is currently underway. The reopening would include a new pier on the airside to allow pedestrian access and egress. The current 24,000 m² of Terminal 1 would be extended by 7,000 m².
Terminal 1 itself is a listed building and we want to preserve this exceptional art deco building in its entirety. However, the technology previously used in the terminal is no longer appropriate, as it has not handled passengers for nine years. Many systems and X-ray machines need to be replaced, and we want to create a modern terminal that meets today’s requirements.”
This includes new state-of-the-art security check lanes, replacement of checked baggage screening equipment, comfortable and passenger-friendly waiting areas, and a new lightweight pier to be connected to the old terminal building on the airside.
The Budapest Airport CEO continued:
In 2012, before its closure, the terminal handled 2.5 million passengers a year. We estimate that the capacity of Terminal 1, with the addition of the new pier, would be almost double that.”
Until Terminal 3 is ready, a bus terminal will be added to Terminal 1 as well.
A visual plan of the temporary terminal can be seen below:
Featured image via the Budapest Airport’s Facebook page
