New records at Budapest Airport

After last year’s annual traffic record and a record start in January, the significant increase in passenger numbers at Budapest Airport continued in February. The country’s tourist appeal, Hungarians’ appetite for travel and spending power being focused increasingly on new experiences proved to be major driving forces for passenger traffic, even during a month that is usually the least busy period.

The busiest February ever at Budapest Airport

Passenger numbers reached 1 249 814 in February this year, up 15.9% on last year’s 1 075 552, then the busiest February ever, while the combined total for the first two months is 16.7% higher than in 2024. In addition to Hungary’s unrivalled assets, this uninterrupted upward trend is supported by Budapest Airport and VINCI Airports’ large network of airline partners and their airline development strategy built on diversification, which aims to increase the density of the network by attracting new destinations and expanding the number of airlines flying to existing destinations, bud.hu wrote.

Here are the most popular destinations

This enables passengers to choose the most appropriate service on the route of their choice. Budapest Airport has announced the launch of seven new flights since the beginning of the year, including an easyJet flight to the airport of Nantes, also part of the VINCI Airports network, and it is continuously working on launching new connections. During this period, the most popular destinations were London, Istanbul, Rome, Paris and Milan.

Budapest Airport outperforming Vienna and Munich

Budapest Airport recorded a cargo volume of nearly 300,000 tons last year, which put it ahead of its regional competitor, Vienna Airport. After an outstanding year-end, the volume of cargo handled in 2025 continues to rise: the 29,063 tons handled in the second month of the year represents a 44.3% increase compared to the same period last year, while the total volume handled so far in 2025 is 51% more than last year, outperforming both Vienna and Munich.

World-class cargo infrastructure

The driving force behind this robust growth is the fact that Budapest Airport has become the hub of East-Central Europe in recent years, a role that has been consolidated not only thanks to the creation of world-class cargo infrastructure, but also to the cargo coming from Asia, especially China. The airport currently has direct cargo connections with Shanghai, Hong Kong, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an, Ezhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

The cargo success story has also been recognized by the logistics industry, with Air Cargo Week nominating Budapest Airport for the Cargo Airport of the Year – Regional Cargo Hub Award in the category of airports handling less than 750 000 tons of cargo per year. The vote is accessible here.

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