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Strong performance in November *** New Wizz flight to Dortmund *** Jet2.com makes it a hatrick at Budapest *** Budapest Winter *** Christmas sparkle at Budapest Airport *** X factor star dresses up as Santa Claus *** Good-bye London! *** travelAIR: Budapest Airport launched new airport magazine *** Budapest to host Routes Europe 2013 *** Conference Center Opens In SkyCourt *** Budapest Airport: climate-friendly company *** Budapest Airport wins top award at World Routes Conference in Berlin *** Budapest Airport welcomes inaugural SkyWork Airlines flight from Bern *** Budapest Airport engages passengers with new website *** Qatar Airways starts direct, daily non-stop Budapest-Doha flights
Strong performance in November
Traffic at Budapest Airport began to recede in November, but is still very high compared to the time of year, the latest traffic reports have revealed.
646 171 passengers – this figure from the month of November was enough to ensure that total traffic in 2011 already exceeds that of last year, even before the end of December. Budapest Airport handled a total of 8.19 million passengers in 2010, and the figure for this year already stands at 8.28 million at the end of November. Unless some extreme or unexpected circumstances arise, this will be the busiest year ever at Budapest Airport.
The growth rate in November was 8.1% compared to the same month last year. Just as in October, the airport would not have been able to achieve such good results without a standout performance from Malév. The Hungarian national carrier has produced outstanding results during the past few months to compensate for the stagnation or decrease seen in other segments. In November Malév once again attained significant successes in terms of transfer passengers changing flights at Budapest Airport, increasing their number by approximately 30 000 compared to last November.
Airlines operating long haul flights from Budapest, such as Qatar Airways and American Airlines also registered massive growth in November. But the more than 300 percent increase in the long haul segment is not surprising; a year ago there was only one long haul flight from Budapest, to Beijing, whereas the flights to Doha and New York really improved the performance of this segment in November.
The full service segment grew by 1.2% compared to last November, whilst the low cost carrier market shrunk by 3.4%. The results conform to the latest report by the Airports Council International (ACI). According to the organization, growth in aviation has virtually stalled in the northern hemisphere, in North America and Europe, and it can only be seen in Asia and the Pacific region.
Budapest Airport is looking ahead to 2012 with cautious optimism. The outlook for the aviation industry has deteriorated somewhat due to the crisis in the euro zone, economic issues in the domestic market and general downturn foreseen by many economists.
“We are focusing all our efforts on maximizing our performance at the end of the year because there is a good chance that all traffic records will be broken,” said Kam Jandu, aviation director for Budapest Airport. “In December we are expecting one final peak period during the holidays and we have taken all necessary measures to ensure that traffic should be as seamless as possible during the traditionally busy Christmas period.”
New Wizz flight to Dortmund
Wizz Air is launching a new flight to Germany. The largest Eastern European low cost carrier’s well-known purple and pink Airbus A 320 aircraft will depart for Dortmund from Terminal 1 twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays from the second week of 2012, or, to be even more precise, from 13 January 2012. Then from 27 March, Wizz will fly to the center of the Ruhr-region three times a week.
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With its nearly 600 000 residents, Dortmund is the seventh largest city in Germany, and an important industrial and cultural center in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Thanks to the Dotrmund-Ems canal, it also has a sizeable port with direct access to the North Sea. Concurrently with the launch of the Dortmund flight, Wizz Air is discontinuing its flight to Weeze, since passengers had difficulty travelling from this secondary airport, located near the Dutch border, to nearby cities by train or by bus.
Together with the Dortmund flight, Wizz Air offers a total of 22 destinations from Budapest.
Jet2.com makes it a hatrick at Budapest
Jet2.com makes it a hatrick with third route announced from Budapest Airport to Leeds Bradford, UK.
The Budapest to Leeds schedule is:
| Thursday | Depart Budapest 13.05 | Arrive Leeds Bradford 15.05 |
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| Depart Leeds Bradford 08.30 | Arrive Budapest 12.30 | |
| Sunday | Depart Budapest 15.30 | Arrive Leeds Bradford 19.30 |
| Depart Leeds Bradford 20.05 | Arrive Budapest 22.05 |
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Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest airport commented: “We are delighted that Jet2.com has increased its capacity to the UK with the addition of the Leeds route. It will offer passengers easy access to the UK’s largest county, Yorkshire, and its major cities including the dynamic city of Leeds, the historic town of York, and the spa town of Harrogate. Leeds is also the largest media, financial and legal sector outside of London so the new route will also offer business travellers increased choice in terms of their arrival point into the UK. We are confident the route will perform well”
Gergely Horváth, CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Plc. commented, “We know that Budapest is a very popular city break for the UK population and this new route will give the people of Yorkshire, and its surrounding regions, the opportunity to easily reach Budapest. We look forward to welcoming them on city breaks so they can explore our history, view the stunning architecture, experience our extensive spa culture and enjoy the wide variety of arts; not to mention the growing selection of excellent restaurants, bars and coffee shops.”
Steve Heapy, Chief Commercial Officer of Jet2.com and Managing Director of Jet2holidays, said: “We are pleased to be able to offer the people of Budapest another UK destination direct from their local airport. Based on the experience of our existing Budapest flights we anticipate that the route will be popular with tourists seeking to explore all that Yorkshire has to offer.”
Fares, which are now on sale, start from only 49,49€ one way including taxes. Whilst the aircraft, a Boeing 737 offers an all economy cabin with up to 148 seats, there is the option to buy extra leg room on eight of the seats, and to select allocated seat numbers on ticket purchase. The airline also offers a generous luggage allowance of 22kg. Fare details can be found at www.jet2.com
Budapest Winter
Budapest Airport has once again joined and actively supports the winter campaign launched by the Hungarian National Tourism Office, aimed at increasing the number of guest nights in Budapest hotels during the off-peak winter season. The initiative attempts to lure tourists to Budapest for a few days with spectacular and creative visuals and messages.
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Similarly to past years, the three, four and five-star hotels participating in the campaign offer one additional night free of charge for guests during the winter season if they book 2 or 3 nights. The HNTO hopes to sell about 200 000 guest nights in Budapest as part of the initiative, which runs from 15 November to 31 March. A new feature is that guests also receive free entry to one of the capital’s historic baths. The marketing agency is communicating all this on spectacular billboards showing hot and cold water taps.
Another new feature is that thematic programs have been compiled for tourists visiting Budapest. On the budapestwinter.com website there are ready-made programs for romantic weekends, rest and wellness or crazy nights. The latter offers a special package of dancing and party nights for young people.
Christmas sparkle at Budapest Airport
Budapest Airport’s terminals have been bedecked with Christmas decorations. The airport operator has adorned Terminals 1 and 2 with more beautiful and glittering decorations than ever before, including its new passenger hall, the SkyCourt, which is celebrating its first Christmas.
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True to tradition, the giant Christmas tree has been erected on the mezzanine level of Terminal 1. Both the inside and the outside of the Bauhaus-style historical building have been decorated with energy-efficient illuminated garlands. Terminal 2 has likewise been fitted with festive decorations; the 2A and B buildings are lit up by approximately 30 000 LEDs, with Christmas trees and more decorations inside the terminals to delight passengers. The SkyCourt is preparing for its first real Christmas. On the exterior, light chains consisting of 15 000 LEDs emphasize the roof structure, reminiscent of a wing section or a shell. On the interior, not only decorations, but also winter discounts await passengers traveling around Christmas.
Budapest Airport and the tenants operating in the SkyCourt also launched a joint campaign as of 1 December. As part of this, all passengers making a purchase at the shops or restaurants can spin the wheel of fortune to win prizes on the spot. Everyone is a winner in this initiative as the hostesses hand out Christmas gifts to all shoppers. The campaign lasts until Christmas, or, to be more precise, until 23 December.
“The SkyCourt has received several architecture awards since its opening. Accordingly, the Christmas lighting expressly highlights the architectural values of the building; the bold curves, the huge glass façade, the breathtaking internal spaces,” said Alan Bork, director consumer for Budapest Airport. “We are hopeful that passengers will be delighted with our Christmas arrangements, since the sparkle, the festive atmosphere at the terminals and our retail campaigns are all designed to please our passengers.”
X factor star dresses up as Santa Claus
Singers Kati Wolf and Csaba Vastag and the “Non Stop” band amused passengers with a fantastic concert in the newly opened terminal building at Ferenc Liszt International Airport.
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Csaba Vastag, the winner of last year’s TV music competition X-Faktor, was happy to don the red garments of Santa Claus as part of the festivity.
“I was delighted when I heard that me and Kati were asked to appear as part of the Santa Claus celebration,” said Csaba, who interacted very well with the children. “It was good to see how jovial they were and how much they enjoyed the Christmas song that we performed together with Non Stop. I hope they will have happy holidays. If we managed to make them a little happier with this song and with this meeting, then that would be a great present for me as well.”
As a mother, Kati Wolf was especially touched by the stories of some of the children.
“As a mother I am especially moved if I meet disadvantaged children, so I was delighted to be able to spend this day with them,” she said.
Good-bye London!
This year the representatives and the decision-makers of the tourism industry met in London at the World Travel Market exhibition held from 7 to 10 November. Budapest Airport’s aviation marketing team was amongst the nearly two-dozen Hungarian exhibitors who were present a the stand of the Hungarian National Tourism Office.
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Budapest Airport, as one of the exhibitors on the Hungarian stand, welcomed visitors with offers from its airline partners and Budapest hotels, and presented its services. The airport’s stand proved very popular. Most of the visitors had already heard of the newly opened SkyCourt, which shows that the tourism industry is paying attention to large development projects such as this.
Budapest Airport wins top award at World Routes Conference in Berlin
Budapest Airport has been formally announced as the European winner of this year’s World Routes Airport Marketing Awards at the 2011 Gala Networking Evening in Berlin, Germany. More than 3000 aviation professionals gathered for the 14th annual event.
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This latest accolade comes hard on the heels of Budapest Airport’s recent success as winner of the European Routes Marketing Award and supports the continued cooperation that the airport has to promote Hungary as a destination with the Hungarian National Tourism Office.
Widely recognised as one of the industry’s most important honours, the awards are unique and highly sought after because they work on the core principal that the people who are best placed to judge an airport’s marketing activities are its primary users: the airlines themselves.
Director of Aviation at Budapest Airport, Kam Jandu said: “I am delighted to pick up the top award for best airport marketing in the European category ahead of such strong competition. This prestigious award represents the combined efforts of the dedicated Commercial team at Budapest Airport, who with constant focus and attention to detail have helped us significantly expand and develop our route network and ensure that the airlines receive only the best service from us. We have succeeded in putting Budapest Airport Airline Development and Marketing at the forefront of airline route development and feel extremely proud to be recognised by the global airline industry.”
Budapest Airport, CEO Jost Lammers added: “We have such a great team of dedicated individuals working for us. This is fantastic for the airport and for all our stakeholders. It is a real honour for us to win knowing that the award has been voted for by our customers, the airlines.”
The Routes Airport Marketing Awards have become synonymous with recognising and rewarding the highest standards of marketing activities undertaken by airports. After being nominated by airlines, the airports are then asked to submit details about their route development activity and results. A panel of judges considers these submissions and scores them based upon how it matches the entry brief, route development content, evidence of relationship with airlines, innovative ways of marketing to airlines, results, effectiveness and creative application.
The World Routes Awards comprised four regional categories: Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Other global award winners were Abu Dhabi Airports Company for the Asian region, Los Angeles World Airports for the Americas and Accra Interntational Airport, Ghana for the African region.
Budapest Airport welcomes inaugural SkyWork Airlines flight from Bern
On 31th October Budapest Airport welcomed the first SkyWork Airlines flight linking the Hungarian capital city with the Swiss capital city of Bern. SkyWork’s 31-seat, Dornier 328 aircraft, flight number SX602 touched down on schedule at 13:25. The Swiss regional airline has launched two flights weekly between the two cities representing Budapest Airport’s first flights to the Swiss capital. The new service will operate on both Saturdays and Mondays making the route an attractive option for weekend getaways.
Depart Bern 11:30 - Arrive Budapest 13:25
Depart Budapest 13:55 - Arrive Bern 15:50
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Jost Lammer, CEO at Budapest Airport said: “We are delighted to welcome SkyWork Airlines to Budapest. This is a dynamic young regional carrier which is building up a strong network of routes out of Bern, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. The route will appeal heavily to the leisure market opening up the beautiful Bernese Oberland and the stunning Jungfrau. Travellers headed for the Bernese Oberland no longer have to travel to Bern via Basel, Zurich or Geneva, saving up to two hours’ journey time. They can take a train to the resorts of Interlaken, Grindelwald and Wengen – within 1½ hours of Bern and reach Jungfraujoch ‘the top of Europe’ in just over three hours.”
SkyWork Airlines CEO, Tomislav Lang commented: “We are extremely pleased to have begun this exciting new route directly linking Budapest and the Swiss capital of Bern. The route offers travellers from Bern the chance to visit Hungary’s capital and largest city, one of the most popular holiday destinations and beautiful cities in Europe. We have already experienced strong forward bookings and are confident that our new flights to Budapest will continue to be well received.”
SkyWork Airlines offers complimentary catering on all flights, i-Pads for entertainment, free hold baggage allowance of 20kg per passenger, plus cabin baggage of 8kgs. Lead in fares start at just 59 Euros on the all economy seat aircraft. Tickets are bookable online via the SkyWork Airlines website – www.flyskywork.com.
travelAIR: Budapest Airport launched new airport magazine
In accordance with international trends, Budapest Airport is launching an airport magazine. The concept of the quarterly publication entitled "travelAIR" and the plans of the first issue were presented to the media by Budapest Airport and its tender-winning publishing partner, Silver Kiadó Kft.
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The high-quality airport magazine is intended specifically for passengers. To this end, it will include quality content, interesting features and useful information for travelers in Hungarian and English language. The magazine will be free of charge and will initially be published in 30 000 copies. It will be available at the airport both on the landside and the airside, in the transit areas and the VIP lounges.
"Budapest Airport would like to launch a high-quality magazine that is informative and entertaining, and matches the unique quality of our recently opened SkyCourt terminal building," said Mihály Hardy, communications director for Budapest Airport. "The decision was influenced by the fact that Silver Kiadó Kft. submitted a complex offer, not only coming up with proposals for the concept, name and appearance of the magazine, but also for its distribution and commercial strategy," he added.
"We are proud to have been chosen as the publishers of Budapest Airport's first magazine in the coming years. We trust that in addition to the concept of the magazine, the professional values we represent also played a part in the decision, commented Zsolt Barta, the managing director of Silver Kiadó Kft. "Ferenc Liszt International Airport is one of the most important gateways to Hungary. It is clearly significant that passengers visiting Hungary or transferring at Budapest Airport, as well as Hungarian travelers should have all necessary information available to them in connection with their journey and the time spent at the airport. Our aim is to supply readers with a high-quality magazine in Hungarian and English language which not only contains useful information, but also helps passengers spend their time in the best possible way. In addition, it will also offer tourism-related content promoting Hungary as a destination and presenting unique Hungarian products."
Seven companies took part in the tender for the publication of the quarterly airport magazine. Silver Kiadó Kft., which also publishes the premium women's magazine La Femme, submitted a bid which proposed unique solutions and an integrated concept for implementation.
The publication will be distributed free of charge in 30 000 copies, with the first issue expected to appear in December. From March next year, subsequent issues will correspond to the seasons of the year. In case of a favorable reception, Budapest Airport and Silver Kiadó Kft. are ready to increase the number of copies published.
Budapest to host Routes Europe 2013
Budapest Airport, in partnership with The Hungarian National Tourist Office (together with the Hungarian Convention Bureau) and Budapest Tourism, on 15th of november announces that its bid to host Routes Europe 2013 has been successful.
In its successful application to host Routes Europe 2013, Budapest Airport and its partners had to demonstrate the ability to suitably accommodate the event. Key areas for consideration were: air accessibility for delegates; potential event venues able to accommodate delegates representing more than 200 airlines and 250 airports; a venue to host the Gala Networking Evening; hotels, including a 'main event hotel' along with a selection of other 3-5 star hotels close to the proposed event venues and appropriate airport facilities.
"We are delighted to have been selected to host Routes Europe 2013," said Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers. "We sincerely believe that Hungary and Budapest is a worthy venue for such a prestigious and recognised industry event. The cooperation of Budapest Airport, the Hungarian National Tourist Office (together with the Hungarian Convention Bureau) and Budapest Tourism will, no doubt, guarantee delegates' satisfaction for both business and leisure purposes.
"Additionally, we are confident that our combined approach will contribute to ensuring Routes Europe will be organised in the most efficient and seamless manner possible. Hosting the event in Budapest will also provide a significant and welcome boost for Hungarian foreign relations across the important areas of aviation, business travel and tourism."
David Stroud, Executive Vice President, Airports at UBM Aviation Routes Limited, organiser of the event, stated: "We are delighted to announce Budapest as the host city for our 8th Routes Europe event. It was an extremely difficult decision, and competition was particularly fierce, but we felt that the excellent air accessibility throughout and beyond Europe together with the city's infrastructure and first class event facilities made it the perfect choice. We look forward to working with the Budapest team in taking the event to the next level."
Budapest Airport has been participating in the Routes events (the World Route Development Forum and Routes Europe) for more than a decade. In May this year Budapest Airport was announced as the overall winner of the Routes Europe Airport Marketing Awards, highlighting the airport's successful route expansion programme, along with the ongoing development and investment programme at the airport. The recent opening of bud:skycourt has significantly increased the capacity of Terminal 2 to 8.5 million passengers per year.
Ideally located within two hours' flying time of almost all major European destinations, Budapest Airport serves 95 destinations in 40 countries, operated by 34 airlines. In addition to its existing strong European route network and flights to Beijing, new for 2011 the airport has introduced direct flights to the Middle East by Qatar Airways, flights to New York by American Airlines, flights to the Latvian capital of Riga with airBaltic and jet2.com has commenced a new route to Edinburgh.
Conference Center Opens In SkyCourt
The new conference center operated by Business Unit Property has been started up in SkyCourt, offering two combinable rooms on the arrival level in the landside area of the new terminal building from the middle of November. On more than 120 square meters in total, the dividable room may accommodate meetings, negotiations, trainings, or more sizable events with up to 100 participants.
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The furnishings of the Conference Center are intended to ensure mobility and variability, thus the interior arrangement can be requested in a format that is most suitable for the occasion. The facility is located on the arrival (lower) level of the SkyCourt on landside, in the area open for the public on the side towards Terminal 2A, from where the car park as well as the check-in counters and the passenger screening areas are easy to access.
The standard services offered in the Conference Center include wireless Internet, the ubiquitous projector and screen, and the traditional flip-chart. Sound amplification may also be requested for major events.
The Conference Center – similarly to other meeting rooms of Budapest Airport – may also be booked online. The room(s) can be selected in the electronic form (either room or the two combined), and the desired arrangement of chairs and tables can also be indicated. The choice of five different set-ups is offered: the U-shaped layout enabling interactive presentations, the classroom pattern for trainings, the round table for coordination meetings, rows of chairs for lectures, and the traditional conference layout. Catering service can also be ordered online, and so the meeting organizers can focus all their attention on the meeting / event itself.
Budapest Airport engages passengers with new website
Following extensive research, Budapest Airport has launched a new website www.bud.hu with an improved design, simplified layout and superior navigation enabling visitors to access the information they need, quickly and more efficiently.
Fresh and user-friendly, the website offers passengers a ‘one-stop’ solution with all the latest information about Budapest Airport and its services. With German, Hungarian and English language versions also now available, users can customise the content to suit their needs.
Features on the new website enable passengers to book flights, establish up to the minute flight information, pre-order and purchase a wide range of duty free goods, take advantage of special flight offers and directly link to the airlines’ online check-in facilities. The website has also taken the wave of social media into consideration, allowing users to ‘share’ their likes with their connections on the social networking site Facebook.
Jost Lammers, CEO at Budapest Airport said: “We wanted to develop a more modern site which can be used as a platform to further develop mobile and social media applications. The new website accomplishes four primary goals: enhanced navigation, clearer structure, additional language capabilities and amplification of our brand. Initial feedback has been very positive and we look forward to implementing further enhancements in the near future.”
The launch of the new website represents the first phase of Budapest Airport’s redevelopment of its digital presence. In the near future, mobile applications and further multiple language capabilities will be offered.
Qatar Airways starts direct, daily non-stop Budapest-Doha flights
Qatar Airways has today commenced direct, daily operations between Budapest Airport and Doha, expanding the previous four times weekly schedule, introduced in January, and dropping the stop-over in Bucharest, Romania.
The new frequency is an excellent enhancement, welcomed by Budapest Airport and its passengers.
To commemorate the enhanced service, Qatar Airways and Budapest Airport organised a reception at the airport’s new bud:skycourt facility. Budapest Airport’s Executive Management team was joined by senior representatives of Qatar Airways and a number of invited guests, including key Hungarian travel agencies and Hungarian media.
"The journey time has been significantly shortened for passengers travelling from Budapest to the Middle East and the daily service enables increased options for onward connections to Asia," said Kam Jandu, Budapest Airport’s Director of Aviation. "Passengers will also benefit from the increased frequency on Qatar Airways’ Airbus A320 aircraft.”
With immediate effect, the new Qatar Airways’ Doha – Budapest schedules are:
Daily:
| Flight No. QR947 | Depart Doha 0900 | Arrive Budapest 1335 |
| Flight No. QR948 | Depart Budapest 1730 | Arrive Doha 2345 | <
The increased rotation builds on a successful start to the Qatar Airways’ route, which has been operating a four-times-a-week Doha to Budapest service since January, offering its award winning five star service to passengers originating in the Middle East and further afield via its hub connections.