China goes further in Hungary: aerial silk road to Budapest

Budapest Airport, the Chinese Henan Airport Group (the operator of Zhengzhou International Airport) and the Chinese-Hungarian business and logistics development company CECZ / Utlink signed a cooperation agreement, aimed at establishing the aerial Silk Road between Hungary and China and creating dedicated logistics centers at the two airports, to handle freight traffic.

The project elevates cooperation between the two countries to a new level, further developing exports and imports and enabling the two airports to

become key cargo gateways in China and in the East-Central European region,

offering opportunities to market players like the Alibaba group.

The newly signed cooperation agreement is expected to bring important economic opportunities and foster a significant expansion of air freight between Hungary and China, by connecting Budapest Airport (BUD) and Zhengzhou Airport (CGO), while also providing significant logistics advantages for Hungary, the ECE countries and China. Within the framework of the agreement, the partners – BUD, CGO and the logistics development company CECZ / Utlink Central European Trading and Logistic Cooperation Zone – jointly

establish the aerial Slik Road between the two countries.

On the Hungarian side, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, the central and the Airport Directorate of the National Customs and Tax Administration, the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) and Magyar Posta Zrt. (Hungarian Post) and Ghibli Kft. provided important support for the project.

László Mosóczi, state secretary for transport policy said: According to the government’s plans,

Hungary could become the cargo, logistics and distribution hub for Central Europe.

This strategic objective can be achieved if the largest possible proportion of the goods transported between Europe and the Far East reach their destination via Hungary. In harmony with the policy of opening to the east, we are therefore continuing to work to connect continents and regions with modern and safe logistics solutions. We are also looking for ways to deepen and expand cooperation with our Chinese partners, in line with our joint goals.

The highly supportive environment greatly contributed to the conclusion of the agreement, and the project was already specified as an objective during

the meeting between China and the East-Central European countries held in Beijing in February 2021 and led by Chinese president Xi Jinping.

“I trust that the BUD Cargo City will be a perfect station for this 21st century aerial Silk Road, where a world-class logistics complex will serve the handling of air cargo. It is one of our top priorities to strengthen Hungary’s position within the East-Central European region,” emphasized Chris Dinsdale, the CEO of Budapest Airport. “We are thankful for our business, authority and political partners who supported the aerial Silk Road project, and we believe that thanks to the Silk Road, excellent new opportunities will open in the economy, commerce and logistics between Hungary, East-Central Europe and China,” he added.