Budapest Airport in Hungary has witnessed its best-ever start to a year after recording a 17.5% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers in April, more than double the EU gross average of 7%.
It also marked the 40th consecutive month of growth for the airport and broke the monthly one million-passenger barrier a month earlier than it did in 2016.
As one of Europe’s fastest growing major airports, early forecasts indicate that Budapest Airport will welcome more than 12 million passengers in 2017, breaking yet another record. The growth in passenger numbers has been attributed to the addition of multiple new routes in the first months of 2017, with 11 new services launched already this year and 13 still to come.
Jost Lammers, CEO, Budapest Airport, said, “We will offer close to 800,000 more seats this summer than in 2016, a considerable 8% increase in the height of our peak season. So far this year we’ve seen our passenger records beaten on a monthly basis as well as a significant reduction in our seasonality. With the marked expansion in our summer schedule we’re in no doubt that we will continue on this path of rapid growth.”
Budapest Airport is investing €160m (US$174m) in its infrastructure over the next three years to ensure it can meet the requirements of future growth. The airport’s bud:2020 development plan includes the construction of a 145-room airport hotel opening later this year; a new pier in the non-Schengen area due to be completed by 2018; check-in extensions opening this summer; and several new facilities for cargo integrators and handlers.
