City council, HungaroControl propose ban on night air traffic at Budapest Airport

The Budapest municipal council has proposed banning all air traffic at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport between midnight and 5 am to curb noise pollution, a scheme backed by air traffic control service HungaroControl, Mayor István Tarlós told daily Magyar Nemzet.

Talks have started between the city council, HungaroControl and airport operator Budapest Airport to reduce noise pollution in areas near the airport, Tarlós said in an interview published on Wednesday.

“Budapest Airport is open to the idea, which I think can be implemented shortly,” Tarlós said.

A long-term proposal of the council, plans are to move cargo and military traffic to another airport, farther away from Budapest, Tarlós said. This would not apply to passenger services, he added.

Meanwhile, addressing the contested issue of parking services in Budapest, Tarlós said he disputed how the “opposition media” had interpreted his position, adding that both he and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán saw the issue as being politicised. “Budapest districts are staunchly protecting their right to decide on matters related to parking,” he said, adding that the city council decided on fees and pay-for-parking areas but the districts entered into contracts on collecting those fees independently.