Budapest Airport’s passenger traffic reflects Hungary’s attractiveness as a tourist destination
Budapest and Hungary continue to enjoy growing popularity among tourists, which is also reflected in the steadily increasing passenger traffic at Ferenc Liszt International Airport. 14 679 220 passengers used the airport in the first ten months of 2024, which not only exceeds last year’s figure by 19%, but also surpasses the record year of 2019 by 8%. The growth in passenger numbers did not stop in October either; the airport handled well over one and a half million, 1 620 990 passengers.
The most popular destinations for departing passengers in October were London, Istanbul, Milan and Paris.
Budapest Airport wins cargo airport of the year award, cargo volumes break new records
Ferenc Liszt International Airport has won the Cargo Airport of the Year - Europe award at the Payload Asia Awards in Singapore. The award was bestowed on Budapest Airport by a jury of leading industry experts, for the development of air cargo handling and the cooperation of the Budapest cargo community, whereby the Hungarian capital airport outdid major European airports such as Vienna, Brussels and Liège in the competition.
The award is in recognition of the hard work of the Budapest cargo community in making Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport and its world-class air cargo handling complex, BUD Cargo City, the cargo gateway to the region and Asia.
It is also the result of this work that cargo handled at the Hungarian capital airport during the tenth month of the year increased by 45% compared to last year; the airport processed 28 968 tonnes of cargo in October. The increase is also remarkable in terms of annual volumes: 240 841 tonnes were handled in the ten months of this year, 50% more than in the January-October period of last year.
Accessibility certification for Terminal 2
Budapest Airport is participating in the DANOVA NEXT project, which aims to develop solutions and services to make travel more accessible for disabled passengers and people with reduced mobility. In the framework of the project, experts independent of the airport operator carried out an accessibility survey at Terminal 2 of Ferenc Liszt International Airport, which resulted in the terminal receiving Access4you certification.
Access4you certified and qualified sites, holding the European certification mark, contribute to enabling people with special needs, who make up 15% of society, to live their lives to the fullest, independently and with a rich community experience, and to leave their familiar environment with confidence, knowing that they have the information they need. The certification confirms that Terminal 2 offers an accessible environment for wheelchair users, people with reduced mobility due to age or other reasons, people with cognitive disabilities, assistance dogs and pushchairs.
Information gathered by the independent experts is available publicly, in the form of a fact sheet, on the Access4you website.
It is a priority for Budapest Airport to ensure that all passengers feel safe and comfortable at the airport. To this end, the airport operator recently introduced a number of services to support equal opportunities at the airport, which you can read more about here.
Budapest Airport’s procurement team takes special award for sustainable procurement
Budapest Airport’s procurement team has won a special award for sustainable procurement, which was presented to the company’s representatives at the Procurement Bar conference on 17 October. The organisers highlighted in connection with the award that it is commendable that Budapest Airport has made sustainability an integral part of its procurement strategy and activities, setting an example for the entire Hungarian business sector and the procurement profession.
The Sustainable Procurement Award was established last year by beszerzes.hu, to reward companies that recognise and effectively manage the environmental, social, societal and ethical risks and opportunities of their procurement and supply chains, and actively work to increase their positive impact. The application criteria are aligned with current international guidelines, European Union regulations, sustainability and ESG assessment frameworks. The award seeks to highlight companies that have recognised that procurement, through its complexity, can contribute to minimising environmental impacts and can generate significant positive impacts in the transition to a green economy, social responsibility, social diversity and business ethics.
Another PR Oscar: Budapest Airport’s communications team triumphs in New York
On 8 October, the PRNEWS Platinum Awards, the world’s most prestigious PR competition, took place in New York. The second season of the TV series “Fly Into Work,” produced by Budapest Airport and Media Factory, won the award in the Employee Relations category. Budapest Airport has thus proven itself among the world’s largest companies in the PR professional arena.
The prestigious award was received in Manhattan by Katalin Valentínyi, the chief communication and government relations officer of Budapest Airport, who said: “We have worked hard in recent years to raise Budapest Airport’s reputation to an international level, which is confirmed not only by this award, but by the 17 international accolades that we have won in all. This amazing success is not only the merit of Budapest Airport’s communications team, but also of the entire airport community, as every project at the airport is a complex effort requiring close cooperation.”
The Lounge Group supported Budapest Airport and Media Factory in the preparation of the tender.
