Business 19 October 2021, 8:15am

Hungary's Orbán says state can buy back Ferenc Liszt airport at any moment

Portfolio

It is the intention of the Hungarian government to repurchase the Ferenc Liszt International Airport and the transaction could happen at any moment, said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Šupljak, Serbia on Monday.

It is right if our only really serious international airport is in Hungarian hands therefore it is right to buy it back, and the economy is strong enough for us to do that. The transaction can be concluded at any moment

, he said.

Orbán thinks that once the airport is back in state hands, developments could be carried out that will raise the ranking of the airport, and subsequently of Budapest, two or three classes higher.

A consortium led by Hungary’s government has offered about 4 billion euros (USD 4.6 billion) for full control of Budapest Airport, Bloomberg cited people familiar with the negotiations as saying last week. The bid is being considered by the airport's owners, people who asked to remain anonymous confirmed.

One of them said that although a final decision has yet to be taken, the owners will probably be inclined to sell at that price and a deal may be concluded before general elections, likely to take place in April.

The airport’s owners have been informed that partially state-owned oil and gas group Mol, and Dániel Jellinek, the owner of local real estate developer Indotek, which had business deals with Orbán’s family, are part of the consortium. Bloomberg first reported a year ago that a consortium including Mol and Jellinek had approached the airport with an ultimately unsuccessful unsolicited offer.

Budapest Airport operator AviAlliance, a Germany-based airport management company which is also the biggest shareholder, declined to comment, as did Hungary’s Innovation and Technology Ministry, which is leading negotiations for the government.