More Passengers and Stable Cargo Traffic at BUD Airport

Although the summer is over, September has not discouraged travelers from getting on a flight. The passenger numbers measured during the first month of the fall confirm that September’s pleasantly warm days have encouraged people to visit European cities, and even to fly to more distant destinations.

639,051 passengers used Ferenc Liszt International Airport in September, which is an increase of more than 625% compared to the same period last year. If we compare this year's results to the record year of 2019, we can see that 42% of passenger traffic has already returned. On an annual level, the first month of the fall was the second strongest month in 2021 in terms of passenger traffic, after August with 702,524 passengers, the latest Airport Bulletin by Budapest Airport says.

In September, the top 5 list of the most popular destinations included four major European cities: after London, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt were the most popular destinations.

Similarly to the previous months, the volume of cargo handled at Ferenc Liszt International Airport remains stable and high. The monthly quantity of goods handled by the BUD Cargo City exceeded 15,000 tons in September as well, which is more than 40% higher than in the same period of last year. This brings the volume of cargo for the first nine months of the year to over 133,000 tons. It is important to note that the increase in quantity has not been matched by a similar increase in the number of flights; while the tonnage is on average 35-40% higher than last year, the volume of aircraft movements has increased by only 7%, due to better use of existing capacities.

Refurbishment of airport taxiways enters next phase
The development of the taxiways at Ferenc Liszt International Airport, launched in May, has reached its most complex phase so far, in which the modernization of taxiways P1-P2 and Q has commenced. During this phase of the works, the airport operator is replacing 635 m2 of pavement, with a total of 11 concrete slabs, and the water drainage gulleys sunk into the pavement will also be refurbished on a length of 138 meters. In addition, the shoulders of the taxiways and the base structures of the associated edge lights will be replaced, surface defects on the taxiways will be repaired and pavement markings will be repainted.

When phasing the refurbishment works, which commenced at the beginning of 2021, Budapest Airport took into account the foreseeable, large-scale events organized in Hungary, such as the UEFA European Football Championship finals or the Eucharistic Congress and the visit of Pope Francis, so that work could be suspended during these periods, to allow the airport to operate smoothly and the operator to guarantee maximum capacity and the best quality of service for traffic.

The continuation of the taxiway refurbishments is part of the series of developments aimed at infrastructure development and capacity expansion launched in 2019, which have been completed during this time in a total value of nearly HUF 70 billion HUF (EUR 200 million).