Budapest Airport developments reach nearly 70 billion forints
Budapest Airport launched a series of large-scale developments in 2019. Over the past two and a half years, the airport operator invested nearly EUR 200 million (HUF 70 bn) into infrastructure development, capacity expansion, digitization and other background improvements.
During the first six months of 2021, several large investment projects were undertaken or started at the airport. Several refurbishments were carried out on the taxiways and service roads of the airport: five taxiways and their shoulders being renovated in several phases, a complete resurfacing and a lighting upgrade was carried out on a 3 kilometer long service road, several elements of the airfield ground lighting system were modernized and the pavement on the Terminal 1 apron was replaced with high-strength and highly load-bearing basalt concrete. On the airside of the airport, Aeroplex of Central Europe (ACE) started the construction of its new, 8000 square meter hangar, while Budapest Airport replaced a significant section of the main rainwater drainage network under the technical apron.
A new main gate facilitating access to the airport will be inaugurated in the coming weeks, which will welcome employees, tenants and partners entering the operational area of the airport with a 440 square meter building and two-and-a-half times greater capacity than previously.
In spite of the drastic drop in passenger traffic and revenues, Budapest Airport decided to continue investments at the airport, and even brought certain developments forward to the period of low passenger traffic, which made them easier, quicker and simpler to implement.
Despite the airport operator having its most difficult year ever in 2020, with a loss of 110 million EUR (or 38 billion HUF), it spent nearly 80 million EUR (28 billion HUF) on investments. This trend continued in the first half of this year, further developing and modernizing the airport and its vicinity.
