Slowing Decline in Traffic

February 3, 2012 was a watershed in Hungarian aviation. In the history of Budapest Airport periods are only referred to as ‘before Malév’ and ‘after Malev’. From February onwards the number of landing and departing aircrafts dropped to the level of 2001-2002. While there were 35 000 air traffic movements registered last year between February and March, this year it fell to 26 500, meaning exactly 24% decrease.

The number of passengers is more promising; in April and May the loss is smaller compared to the previous months. Since the beginning of this year the airport has served 120 000 less passengers compared to the same period last year. The most critical setback can be seen in the number of transferring passengers as transfer traffic has almost completely been lost: while in the first half of last year there were on average 100 000 -120 000 transferring passengers in Budapest, after February this number declined to 1600, meaning a shocking 98% setback.

An often emphasized fact since the bankruptcy of Malév is the significantly transformed aviation market share in Budapest. Last year low cost airline passengers numbered only a quarter of the total traffic of the airport but this May it doubled, giving 55% of total traffic. In parallel, the traffic increase at Terminal 1 exceeded 20% in April and May while at Terminal 2B it was 30% less compared to last year. This share illustrates why the closure of Terminal 1 was inevitable, having reached its maximum capacity level in peak times and its traffic had to be relocated to Terminal 2.

The top list of the most popular destinations from Budapest has changed though the leading cities are still London and Paris. Brussels ranking number five on the list last year has taken over Amsterdam and is now fourth and seeing the increase it might overtake Frankfurt as well which is now the third. It should be noted that Brussels popularity among travellers from Budapest has increased with the expansion of low cost carriers, however, the traffic results at Charleroi Airport which is in the catchment area of the capital, only 50 kilometres away from the centre of Brussels.

New Product at Budapest Airport: Fast Track Lane

Budapest Airport passengers can count on yet another improved service feature from 1st July: the introduction of Fast Track Lane. This new service is available to all airline passengers – depending on airline eligibility or individual decision of the passengers.

Budapest Airport introduces a new service for the comfort of its airline passengers, the so-called Fast Track Lane. This in practice means that passengers will have an option to choose between ordinary passenger security procedure or the improved services of the Fast Track Lane, that will provide swift and comfortable security checks with minimal waiting time. The Fast Track Lane will mean no easing up of any element of the security procedure however will provide faster access to the SkyCourt shopping and dining services and quicker access to boarding.

The Fast Track Lane will be available for any eligible premium passengers nominated by their airlines to Budapest Airport in advance, similar to the Priority lane currently being phased out at the end of June. In addition economy or coach class passengers or any low cost airline passengers may also gain access either through pre-purchasing the product from their airlines or by visiting one of the sales points in the Terminal. Budapest Airport plans to introduce up to three sales points at Terminal T2A and T2B from the 1st July. Arrangements are currently being finalized with partners operating within the Terminal to sell the Fast Track product. Anyone who is late for boarding or simply does not want to spend any time waiting for security might purchase Fast Track Lane vouchers in the departure area of the terminals. One dedicated Fast Track passenger security lane will be dedicated at each entry point to the SkyCourt, one lane will remain dedicated for staff and crew with the remaining 9 security lanes available to all other passengers.

“Budapest Airport had to respond to the changes in airline mix and changes in passengers’ travelling customs, this is the main reason why we have decided to introduce the Fast Track Lane services” said Kam Jandu, Aviation Director of Budapest Airport. He added: “We are currently in negotiations with all our airline partners about the introduction of this new service that will start as of 1st July this year. Our staff are currently undergoing training regarding which airlines have pre–registered for the service which will now fully ensure that only real eligible passengers will be using the dedicated service. Despite relocating all airlines in to Terminal 2 since the 30th May, we have not experienced any adverse affects on the security screening waiting times. Still, I am sure that during the summer peak travel season this quality service will quickly become popular with passengers, especially after it will be introduced as an add-on option to web-based ticket sales with several airlines.”

Budapest Airport on Facebook: over ten thousand likes

Budapest Airport’s Facebook page ranks as the most social out of Europe’s airports. The airport of the Hungarian capital launched its social media website at the beginning of 2010 and is now the most popular and most visited Facebook page among European airports.

Two and a half year after its launch Budapest Airport’s Facebook page has reached 10 000 likes by the middle of June 2012. It is a unique achievement among European airports (based on passenger traffic), only a few Western European airports with tens of millions passengers forego Budapest. The popularity of Budapest Airport’s Facebook page exceeds when compared in the region. The second in line is Vienna with 30% behind. 80% of the Airport’s Facebook fans are from Hungary and half of those are from the capital.

However, the number of fans has only reached ten thousand a few days ago, this number is sufficient for delivering news and photos of Budapest Airport to tens of thousands of people week by week. The most popular topics are certainly the series of photos showing the life of the Airport, the photos and videos of particular aircrafts at the airport and also the latest airline offers. The management of social media requires immediate response from the marketing and communication team of the airport: the ‘lifecycle’ of news or a photo report is just a few hours. Changing needs have to be responded fast: Budapest Airport has redesigned its Facebook page twice in two years, following the users’ need and the latest web design trends.

The Facebook page is a very much searched information site at the same time. During the two significant airport events last year - in March the opening of SkyCourt and in October the landing of Lufthansa Airbus A380 - a record number of viewers were following the Web 2.0 website of Budapest Airport.

Airport operators discovered the possibilities offered by social media in the past few years. Not only commercial activities can be mastered with the help of Facebook but the page has an active role in keeping more personal contact with passengers. Social media can also be used for the recruitment of friends groups: the aficionados of aviation can get closer to the everyday life of the airport and aviation with the help of photos and reports.

Smooth Relocation to Terminal 2

“It is as if it had always been operated like this!”, commented a colleague at the airport after the usual morning peak in Terminal 2 of Budapest Airport from where all early-morning flights of both low-cost and traditional carriers departed together for the first time after the relocation. Between 6 and 7 a.m., 9 aircraft of low-cost airlines and 2 aircraft of traditional carriers left from Terminal 2 with 1780 passengers combined.

It was 06:09 when Hungarian discount carrier Wizz Air’s Airbus A320 left for London’s Luton airport from runway 1 of Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Nothing extraordinary – except for the fact that the boarding procedure of the plane (bearing registration mark HA-LWP) was performed at Terminal 2B for the first time. Two minutes later another Wizz flight left for Catania, Sicily, then Ryanair’s plane took off heading to Brussels Charleroi. In the first hour of the morning peak, 1780 departing passengers were processed through Terminal 2 without any disruption.

The historical Terminal 1 of Budapest Airport saw its last departures and arrivals on 29 May evening: the last departing plane was the Stuttgart flight of Germanwings and the last arriving flight bringing passengers from Rome (Wizz Air, W6 2342) was parked in front of the Terminal at 23:48. After disembarkation and unloading of baggage, the plane was towed over to the apron of T2B where the sun this morning lit up all six purple/pink Airbus A320. Aircraft which belong to a single airline were lined up like this here on 3 February 2012 when the grounded Malév fleet was waiting for their final flight. It was exactly the collapse of the national carrier and the exceptionally high land tax levied on the airport which forced Budapest Airport to close down Terminal 1. On its “old” apron, only freighter planes and private jets remained to be serviced at the General Aviation Terminal.

Budapest Airport closed Terminal 1 for the public, and only the staff of former retail outlets were packing up in the building today, moving their stock over to Terminal 2 or back to their own plants and removing furniture and equipment. Terminal 1 is planned to be fully “hibernated” by the end of June; the building will be cordoned off to be guarded by police and the airport operator, and in addition to the required minimum heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, its regular maintenance and cleaning will also be provided by Budapest Airport. The Terminal as well as its systems and equipment will be maintained in a condition which will allow their re-commissioning within 2 - 3 weeks, if and when it is necessary. According to the airport operator’s estimate, the operation of Terminal 1 will be suspended for a period of four-five years.

Terminal 1 was designed by Dávid Károly, Jr. in 1939. The half-finished building was bombed down in the air raids of 1944. Fortunately, its reconstruction after the war was based on the original design, and the building was handed over to traffic on 7 May 1950. Following the opening of Terminal 2A in October 1985, foreign carriers stayed at T1, and Malév moved over to the new building. In December 1998 Terminal 2B was opened. From May 1999 – due to the Albanian-Serbian conflict in Kosovo – the Ohio National Guard supporting NATO military operations stationed its KC-135 aerial refueling tanker aircraft on the apron of Terminal 1 during the air raids against Yugoslavia. Between 2003 and 2005, Terminal 1 was reconstructed in line with the original design, with the addition of two modern departure and arrival facilities between the wings. Budapest Airport was forced to close down Terminal 1 on 29 May 2012.

Budapest Airport – MUISZ (Association of Hungarian Travel Agents and Tour Operators): life after Malév

Not only Budapest Airport but also travel agencies and tour operators were affected by the negative impacts after the collapse of Malév.

All agreed that unfavourable tendencies will have a long lasting effect and will significantly restructure the Hungarian market. Tourism experts were informed of the outlooks of the summer season after the closure of T1.

Budapest Airport is committed to providing all possible to ensure that the Hungarian tourism industry has the least negative impact after the collapse of Malév, although has limited means. Kam Jandu Executive Director Aviation at Budapest Airport told representatives of the Association of Hungarian Travel Agents and Tour Operators that Budapest Airport is in an extremely difficult financial situation due to the losses caused by the bankruptcy of Malév, moreover the 330% increase in the airport operator's land tax worsened the burden. Both parties agreed that further effective and rapid solutions are expected from the Ministry, eg: destinations regulated by bilateral aviation agreements with significant tourism revenues in directions such as Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Turkey.

Mr. Jandu said that Budapest Airport will be hosting Routes Europe in 2013 – the continent’s most prestigious aviation conference – alongside with their partners, the Hungarian National Tourist Office (together with the Hungarian Convention Bureau) and Budapest Tourism Office. This was announced in Tallinn where the event was officially handed over to Budapest Airport. It was agreed that due to the bankruptcy of Malév the possibilities of organizing international conferences in the Hungarian capital have significantly deteriorated and the effects will only be seen by the so-called MICE tourism in the coming years. Both MUISZ and Budapest Airport urged increased marketing activity especially in Spain, Great Britain, France, Germany and Scandinavia for organizing conferences in Hungary. It is also extremely important to have higher funds for tourism marketing activity abroad.

On behalf of the representatives of other tourism areas Ms. Gabirella Molnár, president of MUISZ and Dr. András Simon, representative of MUISZ transportation industry raised questions. They were informed that the walk on - walk off procedure at Terminal 2 is different from the earlier one and it was implemented with the approval of authorities upon the request from Ryanair; however this procedure is eligible for all airlines. By the autumn Budapest Airport plans to build a covered waiting facility for passengers to board their flights. Representatives of the airport also confirmed that after moving to Terminal 2 all airlines will pay fees according to the published Tariff Manuel. Incentives can equally be claimed.

This season the established and unanimously agreed system shall be applied for handing out vouchers for passengers at T2B, offering slightly more space for travel agencies and their customers on the Mezzanine Level. Concern was expressed about the continuously shrinking charter market in Hungary mainly due to the difficult economic situation. According to first days’ experience the relocation to T2 was smooth; there is sufficient capacity available, eg. at passenger screening the summer peak hours will be managed at standard level. According to calculations of Budapest Airport T2 was operating smoothly yesterday morning with 85% load of the August peak time.

Budapest Airport signs long-term partnership agreement with Malév Ground Handling and Aeroplex

Budapest Airport has signed 5-year lease agreements with two of the surviving Malév subsidiaries that carry on their operations at the airport. The companies will lease offices, maintenance hangars and other facilities from Budapest Airport.

The companies will lease offices, maintenance hangars and other facilities from Budapest Airport.

Budapest Airport has been working for months on the terms of the new agreements with the two surviving subsidiaries of the former national flag carrier in order to meet the needs of the airport partners and to tailor the agreements to the new conditions at the airport. The lease agreements signed with Budapest Airport cover a period of five years, both for Malév Ground Handling and Aeroplex.

Aeroplex of Central Europe operates a large MRO base at Budapest Airport and provides line maintenance for a large number of different aircraft types ranging from Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 through the Boeing 737 and Airbus A 320 family to the large Boeing 747. They also provide all kinds of repair, overhaul and maintenance (D-check) for the most common passenger airliners like Boeing 737 and Airbus A 320. Main partners in recent months for Aeroplex have included Air Berlin, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Spanish Air Europa.

Malév Ground Handling has been providing a wide range of airport services for airlines, including check-in and baggage handling, boarding of aircraft, providing VIP lounges and other business services. After streamlining its operations Malév Ground Handling continues to service important airline partners of Budapest Airport, like KLM, Air France, SN Brussels Airlines, Czech CSA and Air Berlin.

René Droese, Property Director of Budapest Airport has commented: “This is a very important milestone in our relationship with ACE and Malév GH since the collapse of Malév Hungarian Airlines. We have secured five-year lease agreements with them and we are not only interested in the survival of these two companies but in their long-term success. This is positive news for the airport and the Hungarian aviation industry following the negative financial impacts, damages to tourism and thousands of jobs lost due to the collapse of Malév and the extra land-tax levied on Budapest Airport. ”

„This agreement is an important cornerstone in the life of Aeroplex and also in the process of reorganization we had to undertake due to the collapse of Malév” said Imre Nemcsok, managing director of Aeroplex. He added: „I hope that this five-year-long contract will demonstrate another aspect of our stability and will help us in our efforts to retain and strengthen our market position reached in the past twenty years. I also hope that soon we will be able to expand our clientele.”

Lóránt Limburger, CEO of Malév GH has added: “We have been through dramatic weeks now at Malév Ground Handling, but with the signing of this lease agreement we can now look securely into the future. We had to adjust our operations to the realities of the post-Malév era. By signing the new lease agreement we have secured a contractual framework for our future operations. For me the most important task are now to consolidate the company, maintain its good reputation and to continue to provide the high quality services further to our airline partners at the airport.”

Terminal 2A renovated

Out of the two older wings of Terminal 2, the renovation of the “A” side lasting just over a year has been completed. After the handover of the SkyCourt last year, the contractor KÉSZ immediately began the renovation of Terminals 2A and 2B, with the aim of ensuring that the three buildings of Terminal 2 should have a uniform standard in terms of quality and design.

It is a great achievement that Terminal 2A has been refurbished during continuous passenger traffic. The paint had hardly dried on the SkyCourt after its handover last March when the contractor, KÉSZ Építő Zrt. commenced renovation work on the two older terminal buildings, 2A and 2B. Since the opening of the SkyCourt these facilities function as wings connected to the central passenger hall. Following thirteen months of meticulous work, KÉSZ is now gradually handing the work areas at Terminal 2A back to Budapest Airport, although the facility was in continuous operation throughout.

The result is clear for all to see; the interior of the building has been fitted with the modern and distinctly beautiful false ceiling of aluminum stripes seen in the SkyCourt. Other architectural elements have also been borrowed for 2A from the new passenger hall. Thanks to the elegant glass coverings and the linear light channels, the older building is now also shiny and full of light. Natural light also has a big role to play; with the reorganization of retail and office spaces, it has become possible to increase the amount of natural light streaming in through the roof windows in the passenger circulation areas.

Another important, albeit less spectacular modification is that the building’s entire fire safety system has been renovated. The high pressure water fog extinguisher system which debuted at the SkyCourt has been fitted here as well, along with a façade water curtain from the direction of the airside, to protect the building from fires on the apron. Budapest Airport’s employees, retail tenants, ground handling companies and the highly cooperative authorities all contributed to the success of the project. In addition to them, we are also grateful to our passengers who often had to put up with the unpleasant impacts of the renovation works.

Customer satisfaction survey: BUD among the best again

Budapest Airport has received the latest ASQ results, for the first quarter. The vast majority of categories show further improvement compared to the last three months of 2011, and BUD is in the top tier in its segment based on a number of criteria. The target, an average of 3.8, was achieved during Q1; the score of 3.89 exceeds the figure for last spring by 26 hundredths.

Budapest Airport once again managed to attain a good result in the independent and anonymous ASQ (Airport Service Quality) passenger survey evaluating airport services. The average for the first quarter of 2012 was 3.89, which was important since the target this year was to maintain last year’s annual average of 3.8.

Based on the result from the first three months, Budapest Airport made a very good start to the year. In the same period in 2011 it was lagging behind the European elite with a score of 3.63. Now BUD is near the top of the main group, and is amongst the best in several categories.

Out of the 57 European airports participating in the ASQ survey, 14 selected by Budapest Airport constitute the group against which performance is benchmarked. This segmentation is important because it enables airports of the same size and characteristics to compete against each other, providing a better picture of where they are in international comparison within their category, what are the areas where they are doing well and which areas require improvement. The survey once again consisted of 36 criteria, on which passengers’ views were sought. Budapest Airport finished top in two categories; according to passengers, the price/value ratio of the products offered by shops and restaurants is the best in Budapest.

With its overall score BUD not only attained a favorable ranking in its segment, but also finished amongst the best in Europe. Passengers continued to award high marks for the general atmosphere of the airport, ease of way-finding, the availability and the cleanliness of restrooms. In these areas the airport finished in the top third, both in its segment and in the overall European rankings. Security screening, a critical issue for passengers, once again fared well; respondents rated the courtesy and the helpfulness of security and airport staff and the thoroughness of security screening higher than the average of the 14 airports in our benchmarking group.

Good ASQ results are very important; the attainment of the prescribed target of 3.8 is part of the bonus scheme for BUD staff. The target for the entire year will surely be achieved if we manage to keep our service levels at such a high standard, and continue to achieve excellent scores.

75th anniversary of Prague-Budapest route

The Budapest Airport management team, together with senior management from CSA Czech Airlines held a celebration event at Budapest Airport’s T2B Swing Lounge on 23 May to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first flight between the cities of Budapest and Prague, which took place on 23 May 1937.

In testament to the popularity of the route, CSA Czech Airlines now operates the same route up to five times daily. Czechoslovak State Airlines (CSA) was established in 1923 to provide domestic air transport to Czech citizens. In 1927 the Czechoslovak Air Company (CLS) was establised by Skoda Mashinery Co to provide international air transport and in 1930 CSA followed suit, with the start of its first international route.

CLS first flew between Prague and Budapest on 23 May 1937 with CSA commencing operations on the same route on 01 August 1938. Later that same year the Czech Ministry of Transport proposed the merger of the two carriers, however the onset of World War II meant these plans never came to fruition with all aircraft being commandeered by the Nazi forces.

Kam Jandu, Budapest Airport’s Director of Aviation said: “We are delighted to share this landmark celebration with CSA. 75 years is a phenomenal milestone and we look forward to continuing our successful relationship into the future, providing travellers from both cities with this much needed connection.“

On the homepage below, you can find the destinations of Czech Airlines:

In case of any questions, please contact us! Yours faithfully:
c/o AVIAREPS Hungary Ltd.
Váci út 76.
1133 Budapest
Hungary
Email: csa.hungary@aviareps.com
Tel: +36 1 411 3888

Budapest Airport welcomes first Blue1 flight from Helsinki

Budapest Airport welcomed this season’s first scheduled flight from Helsinki on Saturday (2 June). Operated by Finland-based Star Alliance member Blue1, the flight touched down on schedule at Budapest Airport just before 18:00.

Blue1 is returning to Budapest having previously operated the route from 2007-08. The airline is now operating scheduled services from the Finnish capital of Helsinki to Budapest throughout summer 2012. The flights will operate weekly from 02 June through to 29 September, increasing to twice weekly peak season between 04 July and 08 August.

Schedule:

Saturdays 02 June 2012 – 29 September 2012
Depart Helsinki 16:30	Arrive Budapest 17:55
Depart Budapest 18:35	Arrive Helsinki 22:00
Wednesdays 04 July 2012 – 08 August 2012
Depart Helsinki 16:30	Arrive Budapest 17:55
Depart Budapest 18:35	Arrive Helsinki 22:00

Local times are shown

The route is being operated by a Boeing 717 aircraft. Tickets are available to book now at blue1.com.

“We are delighted to welcome Blue1 back to the market,” said Kam Jandu, Budapest Airport’s Aviation Director. “This is a great additional seasonal connection to Finland providing passengers travelling from Budapest with improved transit connections to destinations in Scandinavia and beyond.”

“I am very happy that we are back in Budapest, a city which fits perfectly into our Summer Collection portfolio,” said Janne Hattula VP Commercial Blue1. “Among other route openings within Scandinavia, Blue1 has added two new leisure destinations into Europe this summer, Budapest being one of them.”

Blue1has been a part of the SAS Group since 1998. It is the second largest airline in Finland and is the only Finnish company in the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance, offering smooth flight connections to more than 1000 destinations worldwide. Blue1’s routes cover all Finnish, Scandinavian and other major European cities carrying approximately 1.6m passengers per annum. In addition to direct flights Blue1 offers excellent connections to SAS Scandinavian destinations in Europe, the USA and the Far East.

Budapest Airport welcomes Ryanair’s Billund flights

Offering Hungarian passengers even more choice of destinations during the summer months, Ryanair has added Billund to its existing summer schedule.

The first flight touches down in the Hungarian capital on 16 May. Billund is one of 30 routes the Irish airline is operating from Budapest airport, contributing to the growth of tourism in Hungary. Ryanair will operate the route three times per week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

From now on, Hungarian passengers can benefit from a short break to Billund’s LEGOLAND® park, which is one of Denmark’s top tourism destinations and the perfect place for a family holiday or short break. Billund has a wide selection of shops and the surrounding area boasts beautiful scenery with nearby towns offering a variety of activities, including museums, a zoo, bars and restaurants.

Kam Jandu, Aviation Director for Budapest Airport, said: “We are delighted that Ryanair has added Billund to our network map, offering travellers from Budapest the chance to visit this unique city. Whether visiting LEGOLAND® or just enjoying a short break in Denmark, I am sure the route will satisfy the outbound community and equally attract more Danish tourists to Budapest with a new direct air connection.”

Ryanair’s Katarzyna Gaborec, Sales & Marketing Executive CEE said: “Ryanair is delighted to announce a new route to the summer schedule to/from Billund today. Our Hungarian passengers now have an even greater choice for their 2012 summer holidays. Hungarian passengers can now enjoy a summer trip to LEGOLAND® park in Billund by choosing Ryanair’s lowest fares and our no fuel surcharge guarantee from Budapest to another thrilling destination among many others. We advise passengers to book immediately on www.ryanair.com.

Budapest-Zágreb with Qatar

Passengers can now fly the Budapest-Zagreb route, formerly operated by the now bankrupt Hungarian national carrier Malév, with Qatar Airways.

The Gulf region carrier has managed to obtain traffic rights between the Hungarian and Croatian capitals, since currently no Hungarian or Croatian operators fly this route. The Airbus 320 aircraft of the “world’s five-star airline” land in Budapest at 12:15 p.m. and depart for Zagreb an hour later. They then return at 16:05 with passengers from Croatia on board, before taking off for Doha at 17:05 every day. With this solution the carrier has managed to enter the Croatian market, and is also able to better adjust to the habits of business travelers, who can continue their meetings in Budapest until the early afternoon on the day of their departure, and still make the flight to Doha.

TAP Portugal launches its eighth frequency from Budapest Airport

At a press conference held on 20th April 2012, TAP Portugal commemorated the start of its eighth frequency from Budapest Airport, fittingly coinciding with the airline’s eighth year of operations from the Hungarian capital.

TAP Portugal, a Star Alliance member since 2006, operates to 46 destinations in 26 countries. It commenced services between Budapest and Lisbon in 2004 and has seen a steady increase in demand on the route ever since, with passenger numbers increasing by almost 20% in 2011. The eighth frequency on the route effectively increases seat capacity by 21%.

“We are delighted to celebrate TAP Portugal’s successful Budapest-Lisbon route with an additional rotation providing even greater convenience for our passengers,” said Kam Jandu, Director of Aviation for Budapest Airport. “TAP Portugal passengers originating from Hungary also have the option of onward connections to Latin America, North America, Asia and Africa via Lisbon.”

Voted ‘World’s Best Airline to South America’ by World Travel Awards for three consecutive years – 2009, 2010 and 2011 – TAP Portugal is the leading airline between Europe and Brazil.

Fly to Lyon with Air France!

Budapest Airport welcomes a new flight and a brand new route to add to its network of direct destinations. From the beginning of the summer, passengers will be able to travel to Lyon, the second largest city in France, and the surrounding region. The flight will be operated by a carrier that is new to Budapest Airport, Brit Air – a subsidiary of Air France.

A new route with great significance in terms of tourism and the economy will open on 19 June at Budapest Airport. Lyon, both as a city and as a region, has been an uncovered area in the airport’s route network for a long time. The nearest directly accessible destination on offer was Geneva, located approximately 150 kilometers east of Lyon.

This new Air France flight, operated by Britair, will arrive in the Hungarian capital twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, using a 100-seater Bombardier CRJ1000 type aircraft. Market research indicates that the new service could quickly become popular amongst travelers.

Lyon is the second largest city in France after Paris, and is also one of the largest industrial centers in the European Union. It is equally important in terms of commerce, serving as the other major economic hub in France besides the capital. Due to its geographic position, it has excellent commercial relations and connections with Italy and Switzerland. The most important industries in the city are chemicals and mechanical engineering, but science, research and development and education are also very strong. Lyon boasts two airports; of these, the Brit Air aircraft flying to Budapest will be using the larger one handling international traffic, Saint-Exupéry Airport.

“We warmly welcome Brit Air and the new destination offered from Budapest,” said Kam Jandu, aviation director for Budapest Airport. “Lyon is a very important business and tourism destination in France and it has been missing from our offer for a long time now. We have been working on establishing this new flight for several years and I am sure that this route will be a real hit amongst passengers of Brit Air, both in France and in Hungary.”

“We have been planning to open a direct flight between Budapest and Lyon for a long time,” commented Botond Melles, country manager for Air France-KLM in Hungary. “Lyon has been one of the most sought-after destinations amongst our business travelers and corporate clients from Budapest for years, but so far a direct flight has not been available. From now on Lyon, the gastronomical capital of France with its numerous world-famous restaurants boasting Michelin stars, is just two hours away. We are delighted that from June we have managed to make Lyon accessible to passengers from Budapest.”

Brit Air, an Air France subsidiary based in Morlaix (Brittany), operates around 300 daily flights to destinations in France and Europe. The airline operates a fleet of 39 regional aircraft made up entirely of Bombardier CRJ (Canadair Regional Jet) models; the smallest is the CRJ100 able to accommodate 50 passengers and the largest is the CRJ1000, which will be used on the Budapest route. Air France, with its regional subsidiaries, operates 1,500 daily flights in France, Europe and worldwide.

Budapest Airport is the best start up ever for Ryanair

Speaking in the Hungarian capital recently Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair described the re-launch of Ryanair’s services from Budapest Airport as: “Probably the most successful start-up ever for Ryanair.”

Since Ryanair’s return to Budapest on 17 February, the airline has positioned five aircraft at the airport and launched a total of 30 new routes to destinations across Europe, including Birmingham, Bologna, Bristol, Eindhoven, Malaga, Paphos, Pisa, Venice and Tampere.

On 14 May a four times weekly service (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) will operate to Dusseldorf-Weeze Germany and a three times weekly service (Wed, Fri, Sun) to Billund in Denmark will commence on 16 May.

According to Michael O’Leary, the load factor in March, Ryanair’s first full month of operation, was in the high 70 per cent range and with strong ticket sales, the April load factor should be around 82-3 per cent for all five Budapest-based aircraft.

In the first six weeks, the airline flew more than 100,000 passengers through Budapest and more than 200,000 passengers have already made bookings to fly with Ryanair to/from Budapest.

“Despite setting up the base in record time, we are delighted with the success of Ryanair’s return to Budapest,” said Kam Jandu, Director of Aviation for Budapest Airport. “Furthermore, I’m happy to confirm that we are now in talks on how to consolidate Ryanair’s position at Budapest Airport as one of our main airline partners.”

CNN Business Traveler shot at Budapest Airport

Richard Quest, the world known presenter of CNN Business Traveler program and his crew shot a special report about tourism attractions in Budapest and also about Budapest Airport and the situation after Malév-bankruptcy.

The special report is scheduled to be broadcast on 14th June 2012 on CNN. Efforts to recover air traffic after the collapse of Malév, investments made by Budapest Airport in the last couple of years to develop the airport, the future of tourism in Hungary. Among many other things these were the topics covered by CNN’s Richard Quest and his team at Budapest Airport and the Hungarian capitol during the last days.

Richard Quest also interviewed Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport in SkyCourt, the 100 million Euro new Terminal 2 building of the airport. Mr. Lammers has described in details all the efforts made by Budapest Airport to recover air traffic in Hungary after the abrupt bankruptcy of Malév, the quick response of both traditional and low-cost carriers to fill the market gap created by the grounding of the Hungarian national flag carrier and the necessity to eliminate obstacles to start new services on regulated routes, like Moscow, Kiev, Tel Aviv and Istanbul.

CNNs team have also filmed about Wizz Air, the Hungarian low-cost carrier based in Budapest and Ryanair that have returned with five aircraft to the Hungarian market after the grounding of Malév. They have also recorded shots about SkyCourt, the new Terminal 2 development of Budapest Airport that has won a series of international architecture and tourism awards for its high standards of services provided for passengers. Budapest Airport has also informed the viewers of CNN that it has to close down Terminal 1 and re-locate all airlines to Terminal 2. from 30th May 2012.

Budapest Airport launches environmentally friendly car wash service

The range of services available at Budapest Airport’s car parks at Terminal 2 has been expanded with a new service. With Park ’n Wash, cars are cleaned in the car park in as little as 15 minutes, which is ideal for car owners arriving to pick up passengers, as well as travelers parking at the airport prior to departure. Additionally, the technology used does not require any water, and is environmentally friendly.

Budapest Airport has launched a new service not available previously at the airport. This time the development is available not inside the terminal building, but outside in the car parks of Terminal 2, where car owners can now have their vehicles washed. With the Park ’n Wash service, drivers can have their cars washed and cleaned whilst simply leaving them in the car park. The service is available in the short and long stay and the guarded car park alike.

Park ‘n Wash is not only ideal for those who leave their cars at the airport for a few hours, or even a few days or weeks whilst they are traveling. The service is also available for drivers coming to collect family members or friends at the airport who only use the car parks for a short period, since it takes just 15 minutes for Park ’n Wash staff to “do the dirty work”.

The unique feature of the service is that no water is used; a special cleaning fluid is applied and then removed with a soft sponge. According to estimates, this technology saves 80-100 liters of water per vehicle, which means that several hundred cubic meters of precious drinking water are preserved from pollution on an annual scale. Moreover, the fluid used for cleaning contains plant extracts and other biodegradable substances, and thus only burdens the environment to a negligible extent. The efficiency of this technology, however, rivals that of the traditional wash and rinse method, thanks to the wax content of the cleaning fluid and the subsequent polishing.

“We are happy to make this brand new car wash service available at our car parks, to further improve the quality of our services provided to passengers at the airport,” said Manel Moreno, head of kerbside management for Budapest Airport. “The service works with “green” technology, without using water, and is thus also environmentally friendly.”

Clean-up campaign around the airport

Continuing the initiative begun last year, Budapest Airport once again joined the voluntary waste collection campaign for a clean Hungary. The airport operator enlisted volunteers from amongst its employees for the nationwide event organized on 2 June. This year they were also joined by the spotters, i.e. aviation-lovers and hobby photographers.

Made by: Szalmási Szabolcs, Airportal.hu

Budapest Airport organizes regular waste collection initiatives at the airport, taking environmental and aviation safety considerations into account. This time the aim was to clean up waste dumped illegally outside the airport fence. In coordination with the organizers of the nationwide campaign, Budapest Airport’s volunteers and the team organized by the spotter website AIRportal.hu were given the task of cleaning up the area near the Vecsés end of runway II. Thanks to their concerted efforts, 14 sacks of waste was collected in the space of just a few hours.

Budapest Airport out to cut carbon dioxide emissions

Budapest Airport has launched another significant environmental research and development program by installing special wind turbines at the airport. The investment is another significant step towards the use of renewable energy sources by the airport operator, since the special devices help to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions at the airport.

At present Budapest Airport is testing the various possible solutions, having installed four different types of wind turbines in four corners of a disused radar tower. Three of these have a vertical axis and one has a traditional horizontal structure. Their installation was preceded by detailed measurements, to identify a location at the airport with favorable and stable wind conditions all year round, without any interference into operations.

The annual maximum capacity of the 4 wind turbines is 28 000 kWh. Based on wind conditions at the airport, it is estimated that they could deliver 7-8000 kWh, which is equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of 4-5 families. Budapest Airport will thus be able to save nearly 300 000 HUF electricity cost per year. Following the first 6 months of trial operation, it will be possible to power the lighting of the staff car park near gate “A” completely with renewable energy.

The special blades are fixed, their angle does not need to be adjusted, but they are always positioned into the direction of the wind. Since the wind between airport buildings is usually rather low and changeable, it will be possible to operate these wind turbines at an even higher level of efficiency. At the end of the trial period, the turbine which generated the most electricity will be selected, and, subject to the availability of financing, more could be installed at other windy locations at the airport, with a much greater capacity than currently.

Budapest Airport launched its energy rationalization strategy in 2007, which it continues to expand every year in the interest of the sustainable development of the airport. As part of the program, amongst other things the company renovated the airfield ground lighting systems of the runways, the aircraft stands and of the control tower and significantly reduced its natural gas consumption. It also installed a system of solar collectors developed specifically for Budapest Airport on the roof of Terminal 1, which is able to provide hot water for the entire terminal. The company thus managed to save 80 Gigajoules of energy in 2011, which is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 20 industrial refrigerators.

‘FOD Day’ precedes Earth Day

This year Budapest Airport’s Environment, Health and Safety Directorate once again organized voluntary FOD (foreign object debris) collection to coincide with Earth Day.

International Mother Earth Day, held globally on 22 April, is becoming an ever greater event in the last 40 years, raising awareness about environmental protection. Last year FOD collection was organized precisely on that day. This year it preceded Earth Day by 24 hours; thus, staff wishing to join the effort to clean up the airside area of the airport could do so on Saturday, which was anyhow a workday in Hungary. A large team assembled once again, with about two dozen employees donning gloves and high visibility vests and heading to the apron around Terminal 2 with plastic bags in hand.

Once again there were some amazing “treasures” found lying around on the concrete and in the grass around the apron. The 8 of Bells from a pack of Hungarian playing cards must have been sorely missed, and it is inexplicable what a colorful piercing was doing discarded on the apron at an airport. But the most bizarre find was definitely an abandoned and ragged balloon inscribed “Free Palestine”.

Although FOD collection is a voluntary initiative for no extra remuneration, not everyone left with an empty pocket. Two lucky participants uncovered 100 Rubles and 5000 Forints amongst the FOD, so hearty congratulations to them!

Anybody spends his/her free time spotting arriving or departing planes and the nice spring weather inspires enhancing the environment, we ask those to join to the movement called ’TeSzedd – Joined initiative for clean Hungary’ and find further details in one of the Airport’s neighbouring municipalities.

Budapest Airport welcomes veteran aircraft

National Airlines’ Douglas DC-8-73(F) type cargo aircraft spent just under a day at Budapest Airport, arriving in the early afternoon on Wednesday 11 April and departing on Thursday morning.

The popular Hungarian transport website www.iho.hu also reported on the visit of the veteran aircraft bearing the registration marks N155CA. This aircraft type is very rare, as it is more than 40 years old, having been built in 1969. Along with several other types of Boeing aircraft, National Airlines has two such DC-8s.

Budapest Airport seeks tenants for renovated office building

The first of the Malév office buildings has been completed at Budapest Airport.

The airport operator originally renovated the office building for the Hungarian national carrier, but the prospective tenant discontinued operations. The refurbishment commenced last year, and according to the original agreement, the management and the entire office staff of Malév was due to move in this summer. Budapest Airport is now seeking new tenants for the facility.

The three-storey, state-of-the-art office building reconstructed with cutting edge technology has been handed over to deadline, but the original tenant will not be moving in. Budapest Airport began the renovation works last fall for the Hungarian national carrier, but Malév filed for bankruptcy on 3 February 2012. In spite of this, Budapest Airport did not halt the reconstruction at the half-way mark, for several reasons. Firstly, the façade and the insulation of the roof had to be completed anyhow in order to safeguard the condition of the building, and secondly, the airport operator was hopeful of finding other tenants for the building, with the option of customizing the interior according to the new partner’s needs.

The three adjacent office buildings were originally constructed for Malév at the beginning of the 1980’s, with the level of technology available at the time. Last year Budapest Airport’s refurbishment plans convinced the management of the Hungarian national carrier that it is worth relocating its headquarters from the city to the airport. According to estimates, the move would have paid off for the company in just two years, as they would have been located closer to actual operations. The newly completed facility comprises one-third of the 10 000 square meter office facility originally envisaged for Malév staff. The renovation of the other two buildings intended to be leased by Malév was halted before works began.

A unique feature of the refurbished building is that it was the first not only in Hungary, but also in the region to be awarded BREEAM environmental certification, even though it was not a Greenfield project, but the renovation of an existing facility. BREEAM is the world's foremost environmental assessment method and rating system for buildings, which takes into account not only energy efficiency, but also the materials used and even the environmental impacts of construction works. A sample office has been established on the ground floor for interested parties to see what the property can provide. More information is available via email at property@bud.hu.

“We remain optimistic, although it is clear that the slump in the Hungarian property market is not over yet; the negative trends are continuing,” said René Droese, property management director for Budapest Airport. “We would like to find new tenants for the newly completed building as soon as possible. If potential partners have specific needs, we would be happy to take those into account and even tailor the renovation of the other two buildings to them,” he added.

About the BREEAM assessment method (source: breeam.hu) BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) was developed in Great Britain in 1990. The procedure then went global and, as the first and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings, acquired a market-leading position in the area of certification. Approximately 116 000 buildings have been BREEAM-certified so far, with an additional 714 000 registered.

The detailed assessment method is not just about establishing environmental categories. It provides a system of practical criteria, whereby the entire execution and life cycle of projects can be assessed and compared in terms of sustainability. It facilitates a precise description of the environmental impacts of individual buildings, enabling benchmarking even at an international level.

Aviation newsletter 3/2012