Budapest Airport prepares for a restart – important developments

In preparation for the expected traffic increase, Budapest Airport has begun recruiting manpower to be able to provide for the safe operation of the airport with an appropriate number of colleagues, as moderate traffic returns. 114 employees have arrived in the open positions recently; 75 of them are returning colleagues whom we had to let go last year during the headcount reduction brought about by the pandemic.

Staff are primarily being hired for roles that are indispensable for the safe handling of passenger traffic and the operation of the airport; mostly security screeners and the terminal operation and information teams. In addition, there will be more employees working in IT, and since Budapest Airport will maintain epidemiological measures intensively going forward,

the sanitization team from Emergency Response has also been expanded.

Recruitment is still under way; more than seventy more colleagues will join the BUD group soon. Based on our current traffic forecast, we expect that in the short term, approximately 170 staff will be hired in total, following the headcount reduction last year.

Budapest Airport facilitating the inoculation of employees with absence

Protecting the health of employees is a key priority for Budapest Airport. To this end, the company provides all support for staff to receive the coronavirus injection, even on days when they are working.

The airport operator has enabled employees working in home office to have sufficient time off on the date of vaccination for their tasks relating to the inoculation and, if necessary, for resting following vaccination. For shift-based staff or those that cannot work from home,

BUD offers paid absence for the duration of vaccination and for the remainder of the date of inoculation,

thus ensuring rest after getting the injection. Budapest Airport also helps employees to attend the first and the second vaccinations by ensuring flexible work management.

The airport operator has strict protective measures in place since last March. In areas critical for airport operation, it physically separated teams from each other, thus completely eliminating face-to-face meetings between teams. Disinfectant cleaning is regular in offices and work areas, just as in passenger circulation areas, and face masks and hand sanitizer gel are available for all employees in sufficient quantities.

Budapest Airport has also worked out standardized procedural rules, intended to safeguard the health of employees and prevent the spread of the virus.

In justified cases, this includes having the appropriate PCR test performed, and, to filter out the spread of the virus without symptoms, ad hoc testing in critical areas involved in airport operations. The company regularly informs employees about compliance with rules on appropriate social distancing and the wearing of face masks. In positions where this is feasible, it has enabled staff to work from home, and provides digital infrastructure for contactless, online meetings.

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Source: Press release