Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Top Form

The Hungarian capital’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport's performance is set to explode in 2024. In the first eight months of the year, passenger traffic grew by 18.6% (to 11.4 million people) and cargo by 49.7% (to more than 184,000 tons), meaning that the airport is on track to break all previous records, according to a statement by the Ministry of National Economy.

The tourist attractiveness of Hungary and Budapest is steadily increasing, and Hungarians are also travelling abroad in increasing numbers, according to Máté Lóga, Minister of State for Economic Strategy, Industry, Financial Resources and Macroeconomic Analysis, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Budapest Airport Plc. (the airport's operating company) that was taken into state ownership recently.

The ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the increase in performance was not due to a single exceptional month or event, but that this year's development was trend-setting, with total passenger traffic and total arrivals exceeding last year's figures in each month. Until August, the most popular destinations were London, Istanbul, Milan, Paris and Brussels.

NGM recalled that after more than a year of intense negotiations, the sale and purchase agreement of Budapest Airport Plc. was signed in June 2024, returning the airport to majority state ownership after nearly 20 years. The Hungarian state acquired an 80% stake in Budapest Airport Plc., while the French co-investor VINCI, which is also responsible for its operation, acquired a 20% stake.

The new owners and the operator aim to further improve this performance, and to this end, the airport will be significantly upgraded in the coming years, paving the way for even more dynamic growth. The aim is to reach 20 million passengers by 2030 and 25 million by 2040, the statement said.