Budapest, 21 June, 2007. – Budapest Airport (BA) handled 736,014 passengers in May, a 0.1% or 486 passenger increase on the same month in 2006. For the 12 months to May 2007, total passenger traffic reached 8.341 million a 2.7% rise over the same period last year.
The number of charter passengers grew by 26.2% in May 2007, strong increase on May 2006, up from 23,781 to 30,013 passengers. In the same time this represents a 8.7% decrease year-on-year, over the same period last year.
The number of passengers travelling traditional airlines was 539,303, a 0.9% increase on May 2006. In the year ending May 2007, Ferihegy handled more than 4.151 million traditional passengers, which is a 4.1% increase on the same 12 months in 2006.
The number of aircraft movements in May 2007 decreased by 5%, with the 10,938 movements. In the 12 months to May 2007, Ferihegy handled 125,240 aircraft movements, a reduction of 1.3% on the previous 12-month period.
The fact that there were fewer aircraft movements than last year shows that growth does not simply mean more flights, but can also be achieved through a more efficient use of existing services, as airlines are attracting more passengers on existing flights and have a better load factor. This is good news for those communities affected by aircraft noise.
The encouraging increase in the charter business shows that the aviation summer season at Ferihegy has begun.
Budapest Airport CEO, Dr. Reinhard Kalenda said: “We will develop and expand our route network and will actively cooperate with airlines and with the key players of the tourism industry to attract more airlines, more services and more passengers to Budapest in order to make Ferihegy one of the most successful airports in Central and Eastern Europe and to promote BA as a hub for Central Eastern Europe.”
