Budapest Airport: Demand for air travel growing steadily

After a year, Budapest Airport again asked its followers about their willingness to travel in a newsletter and on its Facebook page. Nearly 4500 people completed the questionnaire published by the airport operator, and the total number of responses shows that the appetite for air travel is growing.

In last year’s survey, 88% of respondents said they would like to travel abroad. This number rose to 90% this year. Many of them, more than two thirds, plan to fly this year. 

This enthusiasm for holidays may have been boosted by the digital COVID certificate, which enables easy and predictable travel within the European Union, including within the Schengen zone, but also to some non-EU countries. 

Based on respondents’ votes, the most popular destinations were European beaches and cities, followed by the Middle East. 

When planning their trip, respondents cited safety precautions and the rules of entry at the destination country as the most important considerations.

The operator of Budapest Airport continues to pay special attention to ensuring safe presence at the airport from an epidemiological perspective, as it is aware that a risk-free environment and a predictable, stress-free journey is more important than ever before for passengers. Numerous precautionary measures are currently in force at Ferenc Liszt International Airport which support the safety of air travel, including continuous sanitization, a large number of hand sanitizer units and active queue management. 

For information on flights, destinations and the latest news, please visit our website at www.bud.hu.

More than half a million passengers in July, monthly cargo volume over 15 000 tons again 

The second quarter began at Budapest Airport with a significant increase in passenger traffic; Ferenc Liszt International Airport handled 538 074 passengers in July, nearly as much as during the first six months of the year combined. During the period from January to June, 604 000 passengers passed through the airport; the July traffic figure, the passenger number during this single summer month, amounted to 89% of this. 

The dynamic increase in passenger traffic is shown by the fact that the July figure of more than half a million is twice as much as the number recorded in June, as traffic recovery reached 34% of the volume recorded in July during the record-breaking year of 2019. 

The increase in passenger traffic is also reflected in the daily passenger numbers. While in the first third of the year, there were 2-3000 passengers per day, in June the average daily number of passengers at Budapest Airport was close to 10 000, and by July it rose to 18 000. 

The dynamic recovery in passenger numbers is also strongly supported by the continued easing of travel restrictions, the increase in the level of vaccination coverage and the introduction of the standardized EU immunity certificate in July. The greater predictability in air travel is also reflected in the schedule available from Budapest, with airlines continuously increasing the frequency of existing flights in response to demand and new destinations being added to the list of available routes. Ryanair recently announced a new destination in Ireland, Shannon, which will be available from Budapest in the winter schedule, from 1 November.

Travelers currently have a choice of 100 destinations, which could grow to 120 in the coming months. 

European cities and holiday destinations remained the most popular in the hottest month of the summer, with the Greek islands and Spain popular alongside Turkish resorts, but Dubai and European cities also featured in the top list. 

Just as in the previous months, cargo traffic has remained steadily strong; the monthly cargo volume handled by the BUD Cargo City exceeded 15 000 tons in July, which is more than 40% greater than in the same month of the previous year. Total cargo volume thus surpassed 100 000 tons during the first seven months of the year and 160 000 tons during the period from July 2020 to July 2021.

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Source: www.bud.hu