Budapest Airport takes over part of the traffic of the temporarily closed Debrecen Airport
According to Debrecen International Airport, due to the defect found on the runway surface, the airport’s operations are suspended foreseeably for at least one week, depending on the weather, while the runway is repaired.
During this period, Budapest Airport will take over the handling of part of the flights originally departing from Debrecen.
Passengers will be informed by the airline of what to do and whether their flight will depart from Budapest or be cancelled,
the operator of the Liszt Ferenc International Airport said in a press release today.
The Budapest Airport handles an average of 55,000 passengers a day during the summer peak season, and now this number will be increased by the addition of the passengers diverted from Debrecen Airport.
Budapest Airport asks passengers to enter the terminals unaccompanied if possible, and if they have a boarding pass or are traveling with hand baggage only, to proceed directly to security screening.
This helps avoid congestion in the check-in hall. Budapest Airport staff are actively assisting the flow of passengers on site: those with small children in the queue are called forward by airport staff, while security screening is quick and smooth, taking less than 5 minutes on average, and under 10 minutes even at the busiest times, BA said.
To make matters more difficult, due to the congestion of the airspace, air passengers across Europe, including Budapest, have experienced a significant number of flight delays and cancellations in recent weeks.
In this situation, it is of utmost importance for Budapest Airport to provide a high level of care for its passengers, so it has designated dedicated waiting areas in Terminals 2A and 2B, where eligible passengers can wait and rest in comfort, and the airport operator provides food, drinks and female hygiene products, if necessary, as well as baby food, diapers and wipes for travellers with young children.
In addition, due to the heat alert, the airport operator is providing free bottled water for passengers waiting outside the zones, and 13 drinking fountains are available to refill these bottles or the flasks brought from home.
“The extreme heat is taking its toll on all of us, whether we are passengers or staff at the airport, so it is particularly important to operate the airport with even greater care in this situation. In recent days, we have distributed more than 10,000 bottles of water, doing our utmost to keep our passengers and staff healthy in the heat. Nevertheless, we ask them not to hesitate to seek help if they or anyone else feels unwell,” said Francois Berisot, chief executive officer of Budapest Airport.
Cover photo (illustration): Getty Images
