Budapest Airport seeks tenants for renovated office building *** New Product at Budapest Airport: Fast Track Lane *** Budapest Airport on Facebook: over ten thousand likes *** Menzies New Ticket Counter *** Celebi New Ticket Counter *** Budapest Airport welcomes first BritAir flight from Lyon *** Budapest Airport welcomes first Blue1 flight from Helsinki *** Comfortable parking tuned for your holidays *** New plum-flavored Unicum Szilva at the airport *** AEA: Czech Airlines Has the Best On-time Record in Europe *** Megmentett madarak *** Qatar Airways cargo*** Bird protection efforts
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.
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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.
AEA: Czech Airlines Has the Best On-time Record in Europe
In April, Czech Airlines came first in the ranking of the on-time departure performance of all of the airlines that belong to the Association of European Airlines (AEA). It has been one of the most punctual airlines in Europe on a sustained basis. The recently published rolling statistical survey for the first four months of the year shows that Czech Airlines was in second place in terms of the punctuality of departures throughout the network. It was among the first five airlines with the best on-time departure record last year, as well.
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In April, 83% of Czech Airlines’ departures throughout its network left precisely on schedule, and more than 95% within 15 minutes of their planned departure time. In addition, the punctuality of arrivals was high in April. The vast majority of flights arrives within the minimum discrepancy, of up to 15 minutes, at nearly 94%. The most common cause of delays beyond 15 minutes were factors that Czech Airlines cannot influence, such as heavy traffic on the main flight routes or destination airports, but also frequent protests in the aviation business in Europe. On the other hand, technical difficulties play a role in delays in only a negligible number of cases.
Czech Airlines’ excellent on-time operating record was also announced on the FlightStats.com, server that focuses on tracking departure and arrival punctuality of the world’s airlines. Unlike the Association of European Airlines, FlightStats.com monitors the 20 most frequent flights of each airline, and assesses the on-time record on the basis of different parameters. In this rating, Czech Airlines also held first place in Europe in April.
Bird protection efforts
Budapest Airport captured a total of 22 kestrel chicks during the past weeks at the airport with the help of bird protection specialists, and relocated them to a much safer environment on the Hungarian Great Plains. The initiative was necessary due to aviation safety considerations.
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Budapest Airport uses more than ten different types of protection technologies, one of which is capturing and relocating kestrels and magpies. The most appropriate time of year for this is the early summer, since kestrel chicks learn to fly in July and August, when they are still clumsy and lack knowledge of their surroundings, and thus easily become involved in accidents.
Staff from the Hungarian Birdlife and Nature Conservation Society placed identification tags on the feet of the chicks, so that they can be monitored during the later stages of their lives. Following their capture and tagging, the birds were transported to a bird rescue center operating in the Hortobágy area of the Hungarian Great Plains.
The relocation of protected species is one of many environmental protection initiates by Budapest Airport. Amongst other things, the airport operator also regularly traps gophers, a protected species of rodents which constitutes a source of food for the birds of prey appearing at the airport, and relocates them to the Bükk National Park.
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.
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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.
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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.
Comfortable parking tuned for your holidays
Flying for a seaside holiday with your family, or for a city break with friends? Park with maximum comfort closest to your flight!
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Budapest Airport’s long-stay car park located next to Terminal 2 offers the most convenient parking option for travelers. Just a few minutes after parking, you can already check in at Terminals 2A or 2B with your baggage, thus saving time prior to departure. Now the parking fees have been adjusted to your holiday as well, so there is more left to spend during the journey. 8 days of parking at the T2 long stay car park costs just 9990 HUF.
Please click here for the full price table.
Budapest Airport welcomes first BritAir flight from Lyon
On 19 June Budapest Airport welcomed the first flight on the new Brit Air route between Lyon, France and Budapest. Operated by the French regional airline, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air France, flight number AF5978 landed at 12.34h, 26 minutes earlier than its scheduled arrival time at 13.00, having departed Lyon at 10.55 in the morning. The Bombardier CRJ 1000 and its 48 passengers were greeted by a celebratory water canon salute on the runway. Once at the gate, Kam Jandu, Budapest Aviation Director, presented the crew with a traditional Hungarian cake to mark the beginning of this season’s schedule. The new flights offer the only direct service linking the larger of the French city’s two airports, Lyon Saint Exupéry airport, with Hungary’s capital city. The Brit Air flight will operate twice weekly with departures leaving Budapest on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Frequency will increase to three times a week from 22 September with an additional flight on a Saturday. For the 2012 season flights will operate from 19 June through to 25 October.Tickets are available to book now at www.airfrance.hu and start from 155 Euros return.
Demonstrating the importance of this new route Jandu was joined by an elite group of guests including Roland Galharague, France’s Ambassador in Hungary, Philippe Maudet, General Manager Central Europe, Air France KLM, JostLammers, CEO Budapest Airport, and Gianni Lanuc, product director, BritAir.
"We warmly welcome Brit Air to Budapest," said Jandu, "Lyon is a very important business and tourism destination in France and today is the culmination of several years’ work establishing the route. I am certain this route will be extremely popular for passengers in both France and Hungary."
Maudet added, "Lyon has been one of the most sought-after destinations amongst our business travellers and corporate clients from Budapest for years, so we are delighted to now be able to offer a direct flight between these two key European cities. The new, regular schedule provides greater access for passengers from Budapest to this important region of France. With a flight time of just two hours we are sure this route will be a success."
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 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.
Menzies New Ticket Counter
Due to the closure of Terminal 1, Menzies Aviation (Hungary) Kft welcomes passengers at their new ticket counter at Terminal 2B departure level. Menzies can be contacted when flying with: EasyJet, Jet2.com, Germanwings, Skywork, Tailwind Airlines, Pegasus, VIP Wings, LeadAir, Aer Lingus, Transavia, Small Planet, British AirwaysContacts: Tel.: 06 1 296- 8368, 06 1 296-8369
E-mail:bud.customercare@menziesaviation.com
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Celebi New Ticket Counter
The Celebi Ground Handling Hungary Ltd opened a new Ticketing and Platinum Service Center at Liszt Ferenc International Airport Terminal 2B. The new ticketing office offers traditional and low cost airlines representation, air ticket sales, but insurances, hotel reservations, and transfers are also available for passengers. For airlines and passengers the new Celebi office ensure high quality VIP assistance, which provide convenient and fast check-in, VIP waiting room - Platinum Lounge service, and escort service for boarding. Platinum Service is available at Liszt Ferenc International Airport on arrival and departure as well. The office is open every day from 4:00 am to 9:00p pm.
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New plum-flavored Unicum Szilva at the airport
Whether arriving, departing or waiting – it will be possible for all passengers to see, purchase and taste Unicum products at the airport in July. Discounts, spectacular digital city light advertising and tasting in two locations within the terminal from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. – this is how Sándor Zwack, the chairman of Zwack Unicum Nyrt. summarized the airport promotion campaign, unparalleled in the history of Unicum, to journalists.“When two prestigious family businesses such as the Hungarian Zwack Unicum and the Heinemann brothers from Hamburg come and work together, the result can only be a success story not only in business terms, but also in brand-building. That is why we were happy to join when we were asked to participate in the latest Heinemann promotion campaign at the airport,” said Frank Odzuck, the CEO of Zwack Unicum Nyrt. about the background of the cooperation.
Speaking of the July promotion campaign, unparalleled in the history of Unicum, Sándor Zwack said they will reach out not only to travelers, but also to those who are waiting at the airport. “Shopping and waiting at the airport are always special situations. This is what we would now like to turn into an experience by making Unicum available to all. I am proud of the fact that we are the first Hungarian brand with a promotion campaign of this magnitude at the airport.”
“The airport on its part is trying to provide an experience for passengers during each phase of the journey. As part of this, together with Heinemann Duty Free we place special emphasis on highlighting well-known and sought-after Hungarian brands and specialties. We believe this is the best way to reach out to foreign tourists, and get them to take one last, good memory of Budapest with them. The airport is doing everything it can to make passengers feel that boarding an aircraft in Budapest is a real experience. This is also the reason why we support the joint promotion campaign by Heinemann Duty Free and Zwack Unicum Nyrt.,” said Mihály Hardy, communications director for Budapest Airport.
Qatar Airways Cargo: five-star cargo flight to Budapest
The first flight by Qatar Airways Cargo to Budapest landed on time at 20:10 on 30 June 2012 Saturday evening. The carrier will fly its Doha-Budapest-Doha route twice a week, thereby providing another important, direct commercial link between Hungary and the Middle East, and indirectly also the Far East.This is the first time that Qatar Airways’ cargo branch is launching a scheduled cargo flight to Budapest. Qatar Airways Cargo’s wide body Airbus A300F type aircraft landed on runway II at Budapest Airport at 20:10 in the evening of Saturday 30 June. From now on the cargo flight operating on the Doha-Budapest-Doha route will arrive in the Hungarian capital twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The direct aerial connection between Hungary and Qatar provides an important commercial link between the CEE region and the Persian Gulf, and, through Doha, via Qatar Airways’ extensive route network, towards Southeast Asia and Australia as well. The commencement of air cargo services is a significant development both for industry and for export and import traffic in Hungary and the region, since transporting goods to the most rapidly developing regions of the world will now be easier and quicker.
“It is a great honor that Qatar Airways Cargo has launched a flight between Qatar and Hungary,” said Christa Soltau, Vice President Cargo and Logistics of Budapest Airport, upon the arrival of the first flight. “We are delighted that another important commercial connection has been established between Budapest and the Persian Gulf region,” she added.
The launch of the new cargo flight is not the first development undertaken by the carrier recently on its services to Budapest. Since May, Qatar Airways’ airliners arriving from Doha make a short round trip to Zagreb after landing in Budapest, before returning to Qatar.
Qatar Airways has been chosen as the best airline in the world, and has one of the youngest fleets globally, with the average age of their aircraft at just over 3 years. Qatar Airways Cargo’s fleet consists of 3 Airbus A300F and 3 brand new Boeing 777-200F aircraft.