Budapest's Main Airport Named 'Cargo Hub of the Year'

At its recent annual award ceremony in London, Air Cargo News, one of the largest international cargo agencies, Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport has received this year’s accolade, dubbed the Oscars of the aviation industry, in the ‘Cargo Hub of the Year’ category.

Cargo received huge recognition at the prestigious Air Cargo News Awards 2022, as the Hungarian capital airport won the Cargo Hub of the Year award.

According to a press release by the airport’s managing company Budapest Airport, the significance of the accolade is further increased by the fact that the Budapest airport finished ahead of such major hubs handling millions of tons of cargo per year as the Brussels Airport Company, Singapore’s Changi Airport Group and Liege Airport. The award was decided based on an assessment by a panel of renowned experts.

Speaking of the award, the head of cargo for Budapest Airport, József Kossuth, said that “one of the pillars of our development is our excellent infrastructure. Located in the heart of the Central and Eastern European region, Budapest Airport offers excellent aerial and ground connections to major European cities. But this opportunity would be worth nothing without our outstanding cargo connectivity and fantastic cargo community. Therefore, this award is not only for us, but for all actors who play a key role in shaping the cargo ecosystem in Budapest: authorities, logistics companies, freight forwarders, ground handlers, airlines, logistics associations. We can celebrate our collective success with this international recognition.”

In 2020, Budapest Airport inaugurated its air cargo handling complex, the BUD Cargo City, a EUR 50 million investment with the long-term goal of becoming the number one hub for the entire Central and Eastern European region. Since opening the hub, Budapest Airport had another record year in 2021, and, as opposed to global trends, cargo traffic at Budapest remains stable in 2022 as well. From January to August, volumes increased by 47% compared to the same period in 2019 and there is a 9.4% increase in volumes compared to the same period last year, while the cargo volume decreased by 9% registered on a global scale.