A nationwide IT system problem caused significant disruption at Hungary’s road border crossings and at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport on Friday morning, leading to increased waiting times for travellers.
According to a statement published by the Hungarian police on Friday, the technical issue emerged at around 8:30 AM and affected border control systems across the country. Authorities said specialists immediately began working to resolve the fault.
The disruption impacted both road border crossing points and operations at Budapest’s international airport, with travellers advised to expect delays while the issue remains unresolved.
Police warn travellers about longer waiting times
The National Police Headquarters’ Communications Service confirmed that the nationwide IT malfunction was slowing traffic at border crossing points throughout Hungary. Officials warned that travellers heading abroad should prepare for longer-than-usual waiting times.
Drivers and passengers were urged to check current border crossing information before departure, including opening hours and queue times at individual crossings via the police’s Border Information (“Határinfó”) service.
No further details have yet been released regarding the cause of the outage or when the systems are expected to return to normal operation.
Airport and border traffic affected during busy travel period
The incident came during a busy travel period, potentially affecting both holidaymakers and business travellers crossing Hungary’s borders or flying through Budapest Airport. Authorities have not indicated whether all border checkpoints were equally affected, but the disruption was described as nationwide.
Travellers are advised to allow additional travel time and monitor official police updates until the technical issue is fully resolved.
If you missed it: Ryanair staff at Budapest Airport left without pay again, union launches legal action
