Increasing Passenger Numbers, Stable Cargo Traffic

More and more people are choosing to fly again; passenger traffic at Ferenc Liszt International Airport reached 1,294,608 in July, 80% of the level before the pandemic in 2019 and up by more than 140% compared to the same period last year.

The management company Budapest Airport says it prepared for the summer period both in terms of technology and infrastructure, with sufficient human resources, to ensure high-quality passenger services. Budapest Airport has not experienced the disruption characteristic of most European airports; passenger traffic is smooth and continuous, despite the large passenger volume. The five most popular destinations with passengers in July were London, Tel Aviv, Antalya, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

Budapest Airport’s cargo traffic has remained stable, despite the global decline in air cargo volumes, with 14,647 tons of cargo handled in the seventh month of the year. Although the rate of growth has slowed since the spring, Budapest Airport handled a total of 113,181 tons of air cargo in the first seven months of the year, 11.1% more than between January and July 2021 and 47% more than up to July in 2019, the year before the global pandemic.

HUF 7.4 billion infrastructure development program
Aviation safety is a top priority for Budapest Airport, and in line with European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations, a major taxiway and runway refurbishment project will begin at the airport in September. The works will include widening the load-bearing surfaces and the shoulders of taxiways B3-B5 on several sections, renewing rainwater drainage systems and the lighting network. The development will be carried out in two phases, the first of which is expected to last from 8 August until the beginning of December, at a total cost of 3.5 billion HUF (9 million EUR).

In parallel, in order to serve the growing cargo traffic at Budapest Airport seamlessly, the expansion of the apron at the BUD Cargo City will also begin, which will allow the airport to handle up to four category F cargo aircraft in parallel in the future, instead of the current two. The total cost of the apron expansion project is HUF 3.9 billion (EUR 9.8 million) Budapest Airport decided to start the works simultaneously in order to complete them as efficiently as possible, before the next summer season.