Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, Hungary, has inaugurated its brand-new Pier B facility as part of its larger BUD 2020 development program.
Constructed by engineering firm KÉSZ Építő Zrt, Pier B spans 225m (740ft) in length and will add more than 10,000m² (108,000ft²) of space to Terminal 2B. The facility opens just as the airport prepares to hit 15 million passengers by year-end, an increase of 14-15% compared with the previous year.
Pier B will be mainly used for non-Schengen flights and has been fitted with 10 new boarding jetways capable of accommodating three wide-body aircraft simultaneously. “This is one of the main reasons for building this new pier,” explained Jost Lammers, CEO, Budapest Airport. “We are supporting wide-body operations to North America with American Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Air Canada Rouge, while also having regular services from Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air China to the Middle East and Asia. We have never had so many long-haul destinations for passengers before.”
Pier B is just one element of a series of projects taking shape over the airport site as part of the five-year BUD 2020 development program. With the investments totaling €180m (US$210m), the next phase includes the building of a new multistory car lot outside Terminal 2, plus the construction of a 20,000m² (215,000ft²) air cargo logistics center, which will also see 36,000m² (388,000ft²) of apron space being added.
The airport’s development team is now working on plans to add a new Terminal 3 facility to accommodate the expected passenger traffic growth over the next decade. “We are working on various options and concepts for a potential Terminal 3, further enhancing the passenger experience as we continue to grow,” added Lammers.
