Seamless journey
In July, the Universal Airport Hub opened its doors in the city center. At the outlet on Kálvin Square, passengers can drop off their bags for safekeeping before their last sightseeing in Budapest, the passengers of participating airlines can check in and print boarding passes using kiosks, and if they are flying with Wizz Air, Air France-KLM, Norwegian or Aegan, they can also tag their hold baggage for later and faster drop off at the airport. The range of services is constantly expanding, with baggage wrapping and baggage size checks soon to be available in-store , to avoid having to wait at the airport during the peaks.
Since 2019, airport baggage check-in has also been supported by a self-service baggage drop-off system, where passengers can check their bags in for their flights independently. Two additional outdoor machines have been added to the existing 24 automatic tag printing machines in 2022, so that the baggage of the passengers of the aforementioned participating airlines can be labeled immediately after arrival, at the entrance to the terminal building, and then simply placed on the designated baggage belt in the departure hall. A video tutorial on four screens and assistance from Budapest Airport’s terminal information staff is available on site.
In response to passenger needs, Budapest Airport has started to develop an observation and smoking terrace at Terminal 2B, so that passengers traveling to the non-Schengen zone will be able to wait and smoke out in the open air after passport control. The new, 200 square meter terrace will be located on the so-called lounge mezzanine, the second floor of Terminal 2B. The terrace will provide an excellent view of the apron, and will also include a covered (non-smoking) section, to allow passengers to enjoy the view even in bad weather. After the easing of the pandemic, the airport operator prioritized the continuation of the project, which was started earlier. Thus, passengers are expected to be able to use the terrace in September.
To ensure carefree travel for families, the airport now offers five nursing rooms, where parents can take care of small children in privacy, with all the necessary amenities. Each room has an armchair, wardrobe and changing table, as well as a microwave. The airport operator also provides free pushchairs in the terminals for passengers with young children, which can be used free of charge from security check-in to boarding. The terminals have a total of 4 pushchair storage areas and 12 pushchairs, which the operator will expand in the future as required.
There are also 100 new baggage trolleys available in the terminal, which passengers can use free of charge during their stay at the airport. The operator is also replacing elevators, upgrading passenger and freight lifts in the transit areas of Terminals 2A and 2B.
In order to make the travel process smoother for travel agents’ passengers and staff, Budapest Airport has set up a dedicated meeting point on the mezzanine level of the departure halls and a rented counter in the baggage reclaim area for travel agents, to make it easier for groups and group leaders to find each other before and after the trip.
Infrastructural developments
On the Terminal 1 apron, the seven stands used by the integrators have been covered with new basalt concrete pavement with a greater load-bearing capacity, replacing the previous asphalt pavement over an area of more than 4000 square meters, to ensure smooth and safe working conditions. In addition, the joints between the concrete slabs on the Terminal 2 apron are being replaced with a new material that is more durable and flexible than before, to ensure long-term protection of the concrete slabs.
During the summer months, developments that are less visible to passengers have also commenced, such as the mapping of utility supply options for Terminal 3 and the demolition of operational buildings at the airport that can no longer be viably refurbished and used in their current condition. They will be replaced by new facilities of high quality and efficient operation.
Sustainability
Budapest Airport’s strategic goal is to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by no later than 2035, well ahead of the NetZero by 2050 deadline, and has implemented a number of developments in the first half of this year.
In the first half of 2022, Budapest Airport installed 35 electric vehicle chargers in the airport’s own fleet, staff and partner parking areas, and is currently in the process of constructing electric vehicle charging stations for a ground handling partner. Budapest Airport thus aims to further encourage its partners and employees to use environmentally friendly modes of transport, reducing indirect emissions from ground vehicle access to the airport in the long term.
The airport operator has also started preparing studies needed to develop a geothermal heating system for the airport. As part of this, Budapest Airport’s experts are reviewing the possibility of developing a heating system using heat produced in the earth, which could eventually replace the use of gas boilers. At present, the company’s own natural gas-fired heating system supplies 95% of the buildings with heating and hot water during the heating season, which would be replaced by a system based on geothermal wells. Such a renewable solution, free of fossil fuel emissions would contribute to protecting the environment and significantly reducing costs.
As in previous years, the first half of 2022 was all about quality, development and sustainability at Ferenc Liszt International Airport. Budapest Airport has already spent nearly 80 billion HUF on the development of the airport since 2019, i.e. over the past three and a half years, and the results are clearly reflected in passenger feedback. Budapest Airport won the Skytrax “best airport in Eastern Europe” award for the ninth time in a row in 2022, and outperformed all its regional competitors in the international passenger satisfaction survey (ASQ) in two consecutive quarters.
Commenting on the developments, Chris Dinsdale, the CEO of Budapest Airport, said: “In the spring of 2019, we launched a major series of developments at Budapest Airport, which produced and will continue to represent a quantum leap in quality, passenger experience and sustainability. The major developments to the current infrastructure – new passenger pier, new cargo base, new baggage sorting building – are already in place, but the entire airport complex is being continuously renewed, both in our quest for higher quality and to meet the challenges of the years ahead. The expected growth in tourism over the coming years and the achievement of our sustainability goals will require us to continuously develop the airport.” He added: “We are now only waiting for the green light from the government to start the construction works in preparation for the reopening of Terminal 1, and the Terminal 3 development has essentially begun, with preparations over the past months to ready the airport for one of the country’s biggest construction projects.”
