Over HUF 70 Billion on Airport Developments in 3 Years

Developments at Ferenc Liszt International Airport are proceeding at a dynamic pace; in 2019, 2020 and 2021, Budapest Airport spent more than HUF 70 billion on capacity expansion, infrastructure and sustainability developments, as well as other background developments enhancing the passenger experience and digitalization.

The results of these investments are also clearly reflected in passenger feedback; in the last quarter of 2021, Budapest Airport scored among the highest in the region in the international passenger satisfaction survey, outdoing most of its competitors.

As Budapest Airport has reported several times previously, a major series of developments were undertaken at Ferenc Liszt International Airport in 2019, which has continued unabated and with unchanged intensity ever since. In the last three years, a new passenger pier with 14 boarding gates has been constructed, which offers 2500 seats, on an area of 11 500 square meters. A new air cargo base, the BUD Cargo City, has been completed, and has contributed significantly to the airport’s all-time high cargo volume of more than 183 000 tons in 2021. The third major investment was the addition of a new baggage sorting hall to the existing infrastructure, extending the conveyor belt system to nearly three kilometers, enabling much smoother and higher capacity baggage handling. Access to the terminal buildings has also been made safer and faster, thanks to the new two-lane turbo roundabout, also completed over the last 3 years.

Developments have also included numerous capacity expansions. Amongst others, the number of bathrooms available in the terminals has been increased by 70% to 28, while all existing toilets have been refurbished, new passenger security screening lanes have been added, the curbside and Premium Parking in front of the terminal and the pedestrian walkways leading from the car parks to the terminal have been refurbished and the floor tiles in Terminal 2A have been replaced. A new escalator has been installed in Pier B and the operator has handed over new elevators on the arrivals level of Terminals 2A and 2B. The number of brand new self-service baggage drop-off machines available in the terminals is 30, while the number of automatic passport control gates has increased to 12, and thanks to the 13 drinking fountains, passengers can avoid the need to consume plastic bottled water, by refilling their water bottles in the terminal.

The dynamic pace of airport developments continued in 2021 as well, ensuring the continuous improvement and expansion of services and strengthening the airport’s regional advantage, which is a priority for both the owners and management of Budapest Airport. Despite the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, which also had a massive effect on the operator’s revenues, Budapest Airport did not suspended investments. On the contrary, it brought forward certain developments, which were easier to implement during the low passenger traffic period.