2023, a Very Successful Year for Budapest Airport

Despite the numerous challenges it had in store, 2023 was one of the most successful years in the history of Budapest Airport, the management company of the Hungarian capital's Ferenc Liszt International Airport

A statement by the company stress that passenger traffic exceeded expectations last year, with 14.7 million passengers using Ferenc Liszt International Airport, which means a 91% recovery from the pre-pandemic level. Air cargo volumes reached an unprecedented record, with the BUD Cargo City handling more than 200,000 tons of cargo.
Meanwhile, the industry confirmed the airport’s progress by upgrading its rating to four stars, and passengers voted Budapest Airport the best airport in Europe and the best airport in Eastern Europe for the tenth time. While awards reflect international perceptions, research results reflect the opinions of Hungarians, but what they have in common is that they all reflect high quality and an outstanding passenger experience.

The statement adds that in the past four years, Budapest Airport has faced the biggest challenges in its history. Despite the global pandemic, international conflicts and the difficult economic situation, 2023 was a successful year for the airport operator in all respects, thanks to the experience, speedy and flexible decisions of management and the owners. Last year, almost all the 'symptoms' of the new coronavirus were successfully eliminated from the airport’s operations, as reflected, among other things, in passenger numbers. Passenger traffic exceeded one million every month since March, i.e. for ten months; Budapest Airport thus recorded 14 701 080 passengers by the end of the year, and this year, it expects the full recovery of the record number of passengers registered in the year before the pandemic.

Last year, 131 direct flights by 39 airlines were available from Budapest, including four Chinese cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo and Chongqing, which led to an increase in business travelers, but leisure travelers continue to account for a significant share of traffic. Overall, the number of non-Schengen and Schengen passengers increased by 30% and 15% respectively in 2023. The most popular destinations last year were London and Istanbul. The company’s airline development team is continuously working on securing new connections, with the main objectives being to connect South China and India and to re-launch flights to North America.

The volume of air cargo exceeded the previous dream threshold by the end of the year; the 201 306 tons registered represent an increase of 3.8% compared to 2022 and 48.5% compared to 2019. This dynamic development is an outstanding result at international level; the increase of nearly 50% compared to the year before the pandemic is particularly exceptional. Budapest Airport and the BUD Cargo City have thus been able to further strengthen their role as a regional hub, while at the same time, the number of cargo flights has not increased in the last 11 years. This result is due to Hungary’s strategic location, Budapest Airport’s exceptional cargo infrastructure and the work of the cargo community, as well as the steady growth in integrator traffic, dedicated cargo flights, the cargo transported on the lower decks of direct Chinese passenger flights, which returned last year, and the growth in e-commerce goods from China.