Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport[5] (Hungarian: Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér, pronounced [ˈbudɒpɛʃt ˈlist ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈnɛmzɛtkøzi ˈrɛpyløːteːr]) (IATA: BUD, ICAO: LHBP), formerly known as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport and commonly denoted as Ferihegy (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfɛrihɛɟ]), is the international airport serving the Hungarian capital city of Budapest. It is the largest of the country's four commercial airports, ahead of Debrecen and Hévíz–Balaton. The airport is located 16 kilometres (8+12 nautical miles) southeast of the center of Budapest (bordering Pest county) and was renamed in 2011 after Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc) on the occasion of his 200th birthday.[6] The facility covers 1,515 hectares (3,744 acres) and has two runways.[7]

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport

Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorBudapest Airport Ltd.[1]
ServesBudapest metropolitan area
Location16 km (9.9 mi) south-east of center of Budapest
Hub for
Operating base forRyanair
Elevation AMSL151 m / 495 ft
Coordinates47°26′22″N 019°15′43″E / 47.43944°N 19.26194°E / 47.43944; 19.26194
Websitewww.bud.hu/en
Map
BUD is located in Hungary
BUD
BUD
Location in Hungary
BUD is located in Budapest
BUD
BUD
Location in Budapest
BUD is located in Europe
BUD
BUD
Location in Europe
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13L/31R 3,707 12,162 Asphalt concrete
13R/31L 3,010 9,875 Asphalt concrete
Statistics (2023)
Passengers14,700,000[2]
Passenger change 2021–2022Increase164%
Sources: Passenger Traffic, ACI Europe[3]
AIP of Hungary[4]

It offers international connections primarily within Europe, but also to Africa, to the Middle East, and to the Far East. In 2019, the airport handled 16.2 million passengers. The airport is the headquarters and primary hub for Wizz Air and base for Ryanair.[8] In 2012 it experienced a significant drop in aircraft movements and handled cargo, primarily due to the collapse of Malév Hungarian Airlines earlier in the year, hence lost a large portion of connecting passengers. It had been the hub for Malév until the airline's bankruptcy on 3 February 2012.[9][10]

Name

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Originally called Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (Budapest Ferihegy Nemzetközi Repülőtér), on 25 March 2011 it was officially renamed Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport in honour of the Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt (Modern Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc). Popularly, the airport is still called Ferihegy as before.

Ferihegy is the name of the neighbourhood around the airport. The name is derived from that of Ferenc Xavér Mayerffy (1776–1845), the former owner of an estate who established vineyards and contributed to the development of viticulture in Pest-Buda. "Feri" is a diminutive form of Ferenc while "hegy" means mountain. In fact, the area is almost totally flat; but originally there was a 147 m high sandy hillock which was levelled in the 1940s during the construction of the airport.[6]

History

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Designing and construction (1939–1944)

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In 1938, the idea of building a new airport in Budapest was born. The area at the boundary of three settlements (Pestszentlőrinc, Rákoshegy and Vecsés) was assigned as the area of the new airport. The airport was intended as jointly for civil-military-sporting purposes. Civil facilities were to be built up in the northwestern section and military ones in the southwestern section. Just as for each building, a public tender was invited for the designing and construction of the traffic building.[6]

In December 1939, upon an announcement of the results of the tender invited in September that year, the designs of Károly Dávid Jr. (1903–1973) were chosen. The designer, who was one of the originators of modern Hungarian architectural art, dreamt of a building which resembled an aircraft from the top-side view. The work commenced in 1942. To approach the airport from the city, a 16-kilometre (10 mi) high-speed road was constructed between 1940 and 1943, which, after improvements, remains in use today.[6]

The military buildings were constructed parallel to the civil construction from 1940 but, due to the war situation, faster. Aviation started at the airport in 1943. In wartime, the civil construction slowed down and then stopped at the beginning of 1944. Towards the end of World War II, many of the airport buildings were damaged. By the end of 1944, Budapest and its airport were under Soviet occupation.[6]

Reconstruction (1947–1950)

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In 1947, it was decided that the airport would be reconstructed for civil aviation. Under the three-year plan, 40 million forints were voted for those works. The opening ceremony was held in May 1950 and the sections finished allowed Magyar-Szovjet Polgári Légiforgalmi Rt. (Hungarian-Soviet Civil Aviation Co. Ltd. – MASZOVLET), established in 1946, to operate here. At that time the airlines operated only a few foreign flights, in particular, those to Prague, Bucharest, Warsaw, and Sofia.[6]

Magyar Légiforgalmi Vállalat (Hungarian Airlines – Malév) was established on 25 November 1954. The first regular flight taking off from the airport to the West was the Malév's flight into Vienna in summer 1956. The first Western airline which launched a flight to Budapest was KLM in 1957. The traffic building was finished in this period and the lengthening works of the 2,500-metre (8,202 ft) runway were started. At the end of 1958 the runway was lengthened to 3,010 metres (9,875 ft) and taxiway D was finished.[6]

Continued growth (1960–1980)

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Budapest Airport in 1961
 
Budapest Airport in 1966

Between its opening and 1960, the number of landings at the Airport increased from 4,786 to 17,133, with passenger traffic increasing from 49,955 to 359,338 by 1960.[6]

In 1965, a study was made on the development of the airport, which was implemented with more than a 10-year delay from the end of the 1970s. Aviation, airport, and flight control all called for more capacity and infrastructure. The Aviation and Airport Directorate (LRI) was established on 1 January 1973 and performed as an airline company, a trading company, and an authority, as well as investment, operator, and air navigation tasks.

In 1974, passenger traffic reached one million. In 1977, a new control tower was built, as well as a second runway parallel to the old one and a technical base for maintaining MALÉV aircraft. Use of the new 3,707-metre (12,162 ft) runway was started in September 1983.[6]

New infrastructure (1980–2000)

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A Boeing 767-200ER of former flag carrier Malév Hungarian Airlines at the airport in 2008

In 1980, the number of landing aircraft and passengers served reached 32,642 and 1,780,000, respectively. The growing number of passengers called for more capacity. A new terminal was decided upon. The foundation-stone of the new passenger traffic building to be built was laid down on 16 November 1983. [citation needed] Since 1 November 1985, passengers have been received in Terminal 2, a 24,000-square-meter facility funded with Austrian loans under general contracting. It was used first by Malév aircraft and passengers, and then by those of Lufthansa, Air France, and Swissair. The old terminal continued to receive residual airline traffic under a new name, Terminal 1. [citation needed]

There was an IED bus attack against Russian Jewish emigrants on the road leading to Ferihegy in the early 1990s. The perpetrators were members of the German Communist organisation Red Army Faction.[11]

In 1993, Malév launched the airport's first Hungarian overseas flight, to New York. According to the traffic figures forecast for the millennium, the two terminals serving 4 million passengers a year promised to be insufficient. [citation needed] The construction of Terminal 2B was started in 1997. The new building, with more than 30,000 square metres of space, together with a new apron, was opened in 1998, with all foreign airlines moving there. Terminal 2B can receive 3.5 million passengers a year, with its seven gates and five remote stands. [citation needed]

Public to public-private ownership (2000–2012)

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Terminal 2 in 2008, prior to the construction of the Sky Court

On 8 December 2005, a 75% stake in Ferihegy Airport was bought by BAA plc for 464.5 billion HUF (approx. US$2.1 billion), including the right of operation for 75 years. [citation needed] On 20 October 2006, BAA announced intentions to sell its stake in Budapest Airport to a consortium led by the German airport group, HOCHTIEF AirPort GmbH, subject to the consent of the Hungarian State. [citation needed]

On 18 April 2007, the renovation of Terminal 1 at Ferihegy was awarded Europe's most prestigious heritage preservation prize, the Europa Nostra award.[citation needed] The designers, contractors, builders and investors (the latter being BA) received the joint award of the European Commission and of the pan-European heritage preservation organisation Europa Nostra for the renovation of the protected monument spaces, the central hall, the gallery and the furniture at T1.

On 6 June 2007, BAA and a consortium led by HOCHTIEF AirPort (HTA) formally closed and completed the transaction of the sale of BAA's shares in Budapest Airport (BA) to the HOCHTIEF AirPort Consortium. The ownership of the HOCHTIEF AirPort Consortium was as follows: HOCHTIEF AirPort (49.666%) and three financial investors: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Montreal (23.167%), GIC Special Investments, Singapore (23.167%) and KfW IPEX-Bank, Frankfurt (4.0%).[12]

On 26 July 2010, after completing a security oversight investigation in May,[13] the EU authorities revoked Budapest Airport's official "Schengen Clear" certification, due to serious lapses observed in personal security check procedures and unauthorised passing of banned objects. This meant passengers connecting via another airport in the Schengen Zone would have to be rescreened through security, just as foreign non-Schengen connecting passengers, causing delays and inconvenience. The airport argued that it had not yet had time to fully implement new security measures introduced on 29 April 2010, and inspired by the Delta Air Lines' Amsterdam "underwear bomb scare" incident. The airport's layout was also cited as an excuse for the failure. Budapest Airport was the first airport to be checked through a stringent undercover evaluation for compliance with the new regulation. (Hungarian state news agency MTI reports: [2] [permanent dead link]) In response, additional security measures were immediately implemented at Budapest Airport causing flight delays at both terminals. Unusually long passenger waiting queues were observed at the busier 2A-B terminal complex's departures area. These problems were solved over time, especially through the opening of the SkyCourt terminal including a central security zone. [citation needed]

On 15 November 2010, Budapest Airport regained the "Schengen Clear"-status, after implementing the necessary security actions and after that, the airport underwent the strict re-inspection.[14]

On 16 March 2011, the name of Budapest Ferihegy International Airport was changed to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.[2]

Sky Court, the new expansion project including shops, restaurants and lounges, also connecting Terminals 2A and 2B was opened on 27 March 2011. In summer that year, the refurbishing of the old terminal parts in T2 began and was completed in 2012.[15]

Collapse of Malév, aftermath, and future (2012–present)

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In the wake of the collapse of Malév, Ryanair announced that it would expand its flights to Liszt airport. Ryanair began selling the flight tickets to the public, but Budapest airport said that the company had not secured all of the necessary slots (which were later negotiated successfully).[16] By 9 February 2012, only six days after the collapse of the Hungarian national carrier, Liszt Ferenc Airport had recovered over 60% of its point to point traffic. Airlines that announced that new services would begin included Wizz Air, Aegean Airlines, Air Berlin, Lufthansa, and Ryanair.

However, the airport had lost Malév's transfer passengers, which, prior to the airline's collapse, had amounted to 1.5 million passengers per year. A second effect of the Malév collapse was that the areas used to service the Malév fleet would no longer generate revenue even once point to point traffic had been restored. These factors created significant financial shortfalls in the airport's revenues.[17]

In February 2012, Hainan Airlines announced that they would cease services to Beijing from Budapest.[18] Prior to the collapse of Malév, Hainan had a partnership with Malév,[19] which included a codeshare.[20]

In May 2013, Hochtief Group announced the sale of its Airports unit HOCHTIEF AirPort which held a stake in the Budapest Airport and other airports to the Canadian Pension fund Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments).[21] Following the sale HOCHTIEF AirPort was renamed AviAlliance.[22]

In July 2015, the ownership of Budapest Airport was the following:

261 million euros was spent on expanding and modernising the airport infrastructure until December 2012. Several of these future projects[clarification needed] involve about further 300 million euros, and depend on regulatory decisions as well as third-party investors.[24] Since 2011, several projects have been completed, including the refurbishment of Terminals 2A and 2B with the inauguration of the Skycourt main departures hall in 2012 and an extension of Terminal 2B in 2018,[25] the construction of a new business and cargo area called Budapest Airport Business Park[26][27] as well as a new airport hotel[28] and expanded car parking facilities.

In 2014, Emirates opened daily flights to Dubai, UAE using the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. It was followed by Air China's flights to Beijing Capital. In 2019, Shanghai Airlines launched a four-times weekly service to Shanghai–Pudong, also with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

In 2015, North American and Middle Eastern carriers announced direct flights to Budapest.[citation needed] In 2018, LOT Polish Airlines made Budapest their first hub outside Poland, launching with year-round flights to New York-JFK and Chicago-ORD. In 2018, American Airlines resumed flights to Budapest. American Airlines this time flew from Philadelphia, after flights from New York-JFK were suspended in 2011. PHL-BUD[clarification needed] operated for the two summers of 2018 and 2019, May–October, and was planned to continue the following summers as well. Chicago-ORD flights were planned to start in 2020, but were axed in April 2020, just a month before the inaugural flight. LOT Polish Airlines axed their Chicago-ORD flight in August 2019, just days after American Airlines announced plans to operate the same route starting May 2020.[citation needed] Nowadays, the Budapest hub of Wizz Air is the largest of all, with more than 60 destinations.[citation needed]

There are further projects for the expansion of the airport, including a new cargo facilities area as well as a new Terminal 3,[29] formerly called Terminal 2C and originally planned by 2020. In a 2021 interview, however, the newly appointed CEO stated that the construction of the new passenger hall could commence in 2025.[30]

In 2020, according to a report from Bloomberg, the Hungarian government was looking at buying the airport from its foreign owners such as GIC (Singaporean sovereign wealth fund) and Canadian AviAlliance. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was opposed to the 2005 privatization.[31] In September 2023 the government made a formal bid to buy Budapest Airport.[32]

On June 6, 2024, the government of Hungary announced that, together with Vinci Airports, they have purchased Budapest Airport, the operator of Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport, from its previous owners.[33] Hungary and Vinci, after paying €3.1 billion in cash and assuming a net debt of €1.2 billion, now hold 80% and 20% ownership of the capital's airport, respectively. [34] Vinci Airports will be the platform operator for decades to come, with a concession expiring in 2080.[35] Mate Loga, State Secretary for Economic Strategy was appointed to be the Chairman of Budapest Airport, while Francois Bérisot serves as CEO now.

Terminals

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The now defunct Terminal 1
 
Terminal 2B
 
Sky Court, the connection building between Terminals 2A and 2B which now houses the main departures waiting hall and shopping area
 
Sky Court interior

The airport's passenger buildings consist of four main areas:

  • Terminal 1 is only used for charter and private flights
  • Terminal 2A is used for flights inside the Schengen Area
  • Terminal 2B is used for flights outside the Schengen Area
  • Sky Court, a large central waiting and shopping area, also the connection of Terminals 2A and 2B

Terminal 1 (closed)

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From 1 September 2005, re-opened Terminal 1 served low-cost carriers. Terminal 1 is divided into Schengen and Non-Schengen boarding gates.[36]

Being located within the premises of Budapest, it offers faster public transport time to the city centre, compared to the Terminal 2 about 3 kilometres farther. (Terminal 1 offers an about 20 minutes direct train journey to Budapest city centre, while Terminal 2 requires an 8-minute bus ride to the train station).[37]

On 14 March 2012, Budapest Airport announced that due to the traffic levels being too low in Terminal 1, extra capacity in Terminal 2, and cost saving, Terminal 1 will be closed temporarily. On 30 May 2012 all airlines were moved to Terminal 2, the low-cost airlines using now the check-in desks at hall 2B and gates at a makeshift shed outside the main building. This shed now does not operate, a new pier was opened instead.

Sky Court between Terminal 2A and 2B

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Sky Court is a state-of-the-art building between terminals 2A and 2B with 5 levels. Passenger safety checks were moved here along with new baggage classifiers and business class lounges, such as the first MasterCard lounge in Europe.[38] New shops, restaurants and cafés were placed in the new building's transit hall. With the opening of Skycourt the Terminal 2 has become capable of receiving about 11 million passengers a year, instead of the former joint capacity of about 7 million. [citation needed]

Terminal 2A

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The Schengen terminal, and formerly the "only" Terminal 2. It was inaugurated on 1 November 1985 for the exclusive use of the homeland carrier Malév Hungarian Airlines, and later renamed in 1998 to Terminal 2A. Its check-in hall serves all Skyteam and Star Alliance member airlines currently. Within its boarding area (Gates A1-A33) and arrivals level, it serves all flights to and from the Schengen-zone destinations of any airline.

Terminal 2B

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The non-Schengen terminal, it is referred to as a separate object, opened in December 1998. Its check-in hall serves all flights of the OneWorld-alliance (intra- and extra-Schengen as well), as well as many other non-aligned airlines. For flights of the Hungarian low-cost airliner Wizz Air check-in desks can also be found at this terminal. However, its boarding (Gates B1-B44) and arriving area serve exclusively non-Schengen destinations.

Pier 2B

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The project "Pier B" was started on 9 January 2017. The new state-of-the-art building opened on 1 August 2018, and it is connected directly to Terminal 2B. It is 220 meters long and it includes 27 boarding gates and 10 jetbridges, which can serve more wide-body aircraft at the same time. The pier was planned to offer flexibility for traditional and low-cost airlines with boarding options via jetbridges, buses or walking directly to the aircraft.

Airlines and destinations

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Passenger

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As of September 2024, the following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter services to and from Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport:[39]

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Athens
Aer Lingus Dublin[40]
Aeroexpress Regional Cluj-Napoca[41]
Air Cairo Seasonal: Hurghada[42]
Air China Beijing–Capital,[43] Chongqing[44]
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle[45]
Air Serbia Belgrade[46]
airBaltic Riga
AJet Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen[47]
arkia Tel Aviv[48]
Austrian Airlines Vienna[49]
Bluebird Airways Tel Aviv[50]
British Airways London–Heathrow[51]
Brussels Airlines Brussels[52]
China Southern Airlines Guangzhou[53]
easyJet Basel/Mulhouse, Geneva, London–Gatwick, Lyon, Paris–Charles de Gaulle[54]
Egyptair Cairo
El Al Tel Aviv[55]
Emirates Dubai–International
Eurowings Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart
Finnair Helsinki[56]
flydubai Dubai–International
Hainan Airlines Shenzhen[57]
Iberia Madrid[58]
Israir Airlines Seasonal: Tel Aviv[59]
Jet2.com[60] Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester[61]
Seasonal: Glasgow (begins 28 November 2025),[60] Newcastle upon Tyne
KLM Amsterdam[62]
Korean Air Seoul–Incheon[63]
LOT Polish Airlines Seoul–Incheon, Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair Luxembourg
Norwegian Air Shuttle Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm–Arlanda
Pegasus Airlines Istanbul–Sabiha Gökcen
Seasonal charter: Antalya
Qanot Sharq Tashkent[64]
Qatar Airways Doha
Ryanair[65] Alicante,[66] Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Beauvais, Belfast–International,[67] Bergamo, Berlin, Billund, Birmingham,[68] Bologna, Bristol, Cagliari, Catania, Charleroi, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh,[69] Faro,[70] Gran Canaria, Hahn,[71] Lisbon, Liverpool,[72] London–Stansted, Madrid, Málaga, Malta, Manchester, Marseille, Milan–Malpensa,[73] Naples, Nuremberg, Palermo, Paphos, Pisa, Porto, Prague, Rome–Ciampino, Seville, Shannon, Stockholm–Arlanda, Sofia, Tel Aviv,[74] Tenerife–South,[75] Thessaloniki, Tirana,[76] Toulouse,[77] Treviso, Trieste,[78] Valencia, Warsaw–Modlin
Seasonal: Alghero, Amman–Queen Alia, Bournemouth, Burgas, Chania, Corfu, East Midlands, Gothenburg, Lanzarote,[79] Mykonos, Palma de Mallorca, Preveza/Lefkada, Rhodes, Rimini, Skiathos,[80] Zadar, Zakynthos
Scandinavian Airlines Copenhagen (begins 3 April 2025)[81]
Shanghai Airlines Ningbo,[82] Shanghai–Pudong,[83] Xi'an[84]
Smartwings Seasonal charter: Antalya, Barcelona, Burgas, Corfu, Heraklion, Hurghada, Karpathos, Kefalonia, Marsa Alam, Palma de Mallorca, Preveza/Aktion,[85] Rhodes, Sharm El Sheikh, Tirana, Zakynthos[86][87]
SunExpress Seasonal: Antalya,[88] İzmir[89]
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich[90]
TAROM Bucharest–Otopeni[91]
TUI Airways Seasonal: Birmingham (Begins 11 May 2025),London–Gatwick,[92] Manchester[92]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Wizz Air[93] Abu Dhabi, Alicante, Amman–Queen Alia, Athens, Baku, Barcelona, Bari, Basel/Mulhouse, Berlin, Birmingham, Brașov,[94] Brussels,[94] Bucharest–Otopeni,[94] Catania, Charleroi, Chișinău, Copenhagen,[95] Dortmund, Dubai–International, Eindhoven, Funchal, Genoa,[96] Girona (begins 1 April 2025),[96] Giza,[97] Glasgow,[98] Hurghada, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kutaisi, Larnaca, Lisbon, Liverpool, London–Gatwick, London–Luton, Madrid, Málaga, Malta, Marrakech,[96] Memmingen (begins 17 December 2024),[96] Milan–Malpensa, Naples, Nice, Paris–Orly, Podgorica, Reykjavík–Keflavík, Riyadh, Rome–Fiumicino, Salerno,[96] Sharm El Sheikh,[95] Skopje, Stockholm–Arlanda,[99] Stuttgart,[94] Târgu Mureș, Tel Aviv,[100] Tenerife–South, Thessaloniki, Tirana, Valencia,[94] Warsaw–Chopin, Yerevan[94]
Seasonal: Alghero, Antalya,[101] Burgas, Chania, Corfu, Gran Canaria,[102] Heraklion, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodes, Santorini, Zakynthos

Cargo

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AirlinesDestinations
Cargolux[103][104] Ashgabat, Baku, Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou
China Cargo Airlines[105] Shanghai–Pudong
FedEx Express[106] Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Hungary Air Cargo[107] Zhengzhou
Korean Air Cargo[108] Frankfurt, Seoul–Incheon
My Freighter[109] Tashkent[110]
Qatar Airways Cargo[111] Doha, Prague
SF Airlines[112] Ezhou
Sichuan Airlines Cargo[113] Almaty, Chengdu–Shuangliu
Turkish Cargo[114] Istanbul
UPS Airlines[115] Cologne/Bonn

Statistics

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Traffic figures

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Traffic by calendar year. Official ACI Statistics
Passengers Change from previous year Aircraft operations Change from previous year Cargo
(metric tons)
Change from previous year
2010 8,179,406   01.2% 105 507   03.9% 65,515   020.5%
2011 8,911,273   09.0% 109,949   04.2% 106,595   029.0%
2012 8,493,569   04.7% 87,560   020.4% 93,125   012.6%
2013 8,510,896   00.2% 83,830   04.3% 92,112   01.1%
2014 9,146,723   07.5% 86,682   03.4% 89,987   02.3%
2015 10,289,180   012.5% 92,294   06.5% 91,421   01.6%
2016 11,441,999   011.1% 96,141   04.3% 112,142   022.7%
2017 13,097,239   014.5% 102,747   06.4% 127,145   011.8%
2018 14,867,491   013.5% 115,028   012.0% 146,113   015.2%
2019 16,173,489   08.8% 122,814   06.7% 135,521   07.2%
2020 3,665,317   069.6% n.a.   00.0% 134,459   00.8%
2021 4,622,882   026.1% n.a.   00.0% 183,362   036.4%
2022 12,205,070  0264.0% n.a.   0 * 194,000   05.8%
2023 14,701,080  020.5% n.a.   0 * 201,306   03.8%

Top destinations

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Busiest routes (2019)
Rank Airport Passengers handled % change
2018/19
1   Frankfurt 725,600   10
2   London-Luton 568,081   1
3   Tel Aviv 509,371   18
4   Paris–Charles de Gaulle 487,029   5
5   Amsterdam 454,181   0
6   London–Stansted 440,792   3
7   Barcelona 380,331   10
8   London-Heathrow 371,288   2
9   Brussels–Charleroi 339,734   6
10   Munich 338,095   0
11   Warsaw-Chopin 313,642   20
12   London–Gatwick 305,005   75
13   Madrid 299,208   6
14   Eindhoven 295,990   10
15   Rome–Fiumicino 286,987   5
16   Berlin–Schönefeld 284,145   17
17   Moscow–Sheremetyevo 263,815   10
18   Dublin 257,550   8
19   Basel/Mulhouse 250,544   39
20   Milan–Malpensa 243,221   1
21   Zurich 235,851   1
22   Prague 233,067   16
23   Copenhagen 231,472   4
24   Helsinki 229,137   7
25   Istanbul 214,130   214
26   Oslo–Gardermoen 211,433   28
27   Athens 208,527   19
28   Dubai–International 207,802   6
29   Doha 207,068   24
30   Brussels–National 201,870   2
Busiest routes (2018)
Rank Airport Passengers
handled
% change
2017/18
Rank Airport Passengers
handled
% change
2017/18
Europe 16   Helsinki 246,616   8
1   Frankfurt 661,820   47 17   Copenhagen 241,153   2
2   London–Luton 564,603   2 18   Milan-Malpensa 240,803   8
3   Paris–Charles de Gaulle 462,651   2 19   Moscow–Sheremetyevo 240,499   22
4   Amsterdam 452,509   2 20   Dublin 238,254   1
5   London–Stansted 427,507   9 21   Zürich 234,034   4
6   London–Heathrow 363,483   9 22   Brussels–National 205,501   1
7   Brussels–Charleroi 361,246   3 23   Prague 200,864   83
8   Barcelona 345,210   32 24   Basel/Mulhouse 180,060   88
9   Berlin–Schönefeld 344,042   45 25   Athens 175,781   14
10   Munich 337,577   2 26   London–Gatwick 174,312   19
11   Madrid 281,704   22 27   Bergamo 167,626   23
12   Istanbul–Atatürk 277,848   13 Outside Europe
13   Rome–Fiumicino 273,830   13 1   Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion 430,502   19
14   Eindhoven 268,155   2 2   Dubai–International 220,589  
15   Warsaw–Chopin 262,000   10 3   Doha 167,532   29
Busiest routes (2017)
Rank Airport Passengers
handled
% change
2016/17
1   London–Luton 574,074  
2   Paris–Charles de Gaulle 471,911   10
3   Frankfurt 449,214   7
4   Amsterdam 443,957   12
5   London–Stansted 390,608   6
6   Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion 363,235   21
7   Brussels–Charleroi 350,152   12
8   Munich 343,275   4
9   London–Heathrow 333,780   1
10   Eindhoven 262,914   6
11   Barcelona 262,497   8
12   Istanbul–Atatürk 246,337   5
13   Rome–Fiumicino 243,231   10
14   Warsaw–Chopin 238,238   12
15   Berlin–Schönefeld 237,772   74
16   Copenhagen 237,313   5
17   Dublin 235,418   2
18   Madrid 230,734   2
19   Helsinki 227,907   8
20   Zurich 224,605   19
21   Milan–Malpensa 223,112   5
22   Dubai–International 221,132   21
23   London–Gatwick 213,920   6
24   Brussels–National 203,636   13
25   Moscow–Sheremetyevo 197,455   18
26   Berlin-Tegel 181,310   6
27   Oslo 166,229   9
28   Manchester 152,710   11
29   Rome–Ciampino 141,525   15
30   Düsseldorf 136,259   13

Other facilities

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  • Wizz Air has its head office in Building 221.[116] Wizz Air signed the lease agreement in October 2010 and moved there in June 2011 with 150 employees. The airline occupies over 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) of space in an office building refurbished after the airline's arrival. The facility, with open plan offices, houses about 150 employees.[117] In addition, Farnair Hungary has its head office on the airport property.[118]
  • Malév Hungarian Airlines signed a lease agreement with the airport in the spring of 2011, agreeing to relocate its headquarters to the airport grounds by the summer of 2012.[117][119] Due to the collapse of the airline, in February 2012 the plans to move to Ferenc Liszt were cancelled.

Ground transportation

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Public transport

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Local buses

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Bus line 100E (bus service to and from the airport and the city center)

Budapesti Közlekedési Központ (BKK), the public transit authority for Budapest, operates two major express bus services to the airport: 100E and 200E. Route 100E—modeled after the OrlyBus and RoissyBus airport bus services in Paris—provides nonstop service to the city center, stopping only at Kálvin tér and Deák Ferenc tér. Standard tickets and passes cannot be used on this route; a higher-fare ticket must be bought on board or at the airport's BKK ticket machines.

Bus route 200E provides service from the airport to Kőbánya-Kispest station, the nearest station of the Budapest Metro. Standard tickets and passes are valid on this route.

Long-distance buses

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Flixbus operates long-distance routes from the airport to numerous Central European cities, including Prague, Vienna, Timișoara, and Sibiu.

Rail

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Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) services stop at the nearby Ferihegy railway station, which can be accessed from Terminal 2 by bus route 200E. Trips into the city center from Ferihegy station take approximately 25 minutes, but service is infrequent. Ferihegy station formerly served the airport's Terminal 1, which no longer hosts passenger air services.

Taxi

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Budapest Airport's official Taxi partner is Főtaxi which has a taxi order stand at both arrival site's exit (outside the building).[120]

 
Bus 200E (bus service from the airport to the nearest metro station, Kőbánya-Kispest)

Mini buses and shuttles

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Several companies operate airport shuttles taking passengers to any destination in the city. Other shuttles and coach services exist to outlying towns in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia.

Accidents and Incidents

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  • On August 6, 1961, a Malev Hungarian Airlines Douglas C-47A crashed into a residential area during a sightseeing flight. All 4 crew and 23 passengers were killed along with 3 on the ground.[121]
  • On January 15, 1975, Malev Hungarian Airlines Flight 801, an Ilyushin IL-18, a ferry/positioning flight, crashed 1360m beyond runway 31 and 120m left of the centerline because of bad weather, darkness, fog, lack of crew coordination and possible spatial orientation. All 9 occupants died.[122]
  • On February 22, 1994, a Malev Hungarian Airlines Tupolev TU-134 caught fire on the ground during a maintenance check at Budapest Airport. Four maintenance technicians died.[123]

See also

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References

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