Turkish Cargo makes Budapest Airport its Eastern European hub

Turkish Cargo, one of the largest cargo airlines in the world, has announced that it is increasing the frequency of its dedicated cargo flights on the Budapest route to four a week in the winter season, and the airline will open the offices of its Eastern Europe Regional Directorate at the BUD Cargo City. This will further increase the international significance of the BUD Cargo City, which has proven immune to the pandemic. The air cargo hub plays the role of an indispensable, strategic facility in the region for the national economy.

Air cargo is a sector of strategic importance, both for Budapest Airport and the national economy. The airport operator is therefore continuously working to ensure that the BUD Cargo City, its world-class cargo hub handed over in January, should become the aerial gateway of the country and of Central and Eastern Europe. The approximately 32 600 m2 facility and the adjoining apron suitable for handling code F aircraft provide an excellent environment for Budapest Airport’s partners participating in the handling of air cargo. This is demonstrated by this year’s cargo performance; in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the BUD Cargo City has been operating at full capacity in 2020, providing all necessary conditions for the cargo community, the airlines, ground handlers, the government and the authorities, for seamless cargo operation and the efficient handling of the pandemic.

Budapest Airport achieved this outstanding result with excellent partnership and cooperation, by working together with its numerous long-term partners and new cargo airlines. Turkish Cargo, one of Budapest Airport’s long-term partners and one of the largest cargo airlines in the world, has announced that it is increasing the frequency of its dedicated cargo flights on the Budapest route from three to four a week, and it will open the offices of its Eastern Europe Regional Directorate in Budapest.

The flights operate on the Istanbul-Budapest-Istanbul route, enabling Budapest-based cargo to access the world’s largest cargo network through the airline’s hub, and to create approximately 95 additional cargo connections from Istanbul. 

“We are delighted in welcoming this decision by our outstanding partner, Turkish Cargo, to establish its regional office in the Hungarian capital and to increase its cargo capacity to four a week at Budapest Airport. The cargo team at Budapest Airport is continuously working to make the BUD Cargo City the cargo gateway for Central and Eastern Europe and Hungary, for which developments by our international partners are indispensable. We wish Turkish Cargo a lot of success for the future in Budapest and the CEE countries as well,” said Dr. Rolf Schnitzler, the CEO of Budapest Airport.

„Having an attractive location from the viewpoint of the logistics and trading companies, Budapest (BUD) became the main hub for Turkish Cargo, with the newly established Eastern Europe Regional Directorate office here. This regional directorate office coordinates the cargo sales activities of 21 countries, based in Budapest. Additionally, along with long-standing, great cooperation with Budapest Airport, Turkish Cargo enhanced service quality and demonstrated a sustainable achievement thanks to its mission, namely, “raising the bar”. Turkish Cargo expands freighter capacities at BUD in the 2020 winter season, by launching a fourth frequency, with A330 cargo Aircraft, as of 8 November,” Turkish Airlines announced.

In spite of the global challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, cargo traffic at Ferenc Liszt International Airport is operating seamlessly and developing continuously. The number of dedicated cargo flights increased by 18 percent in 2020, compared to the same period in the previous year. Numerous new scheduled cargo flights operate to Ferenc Liszt International Airport, and several airlines have increased their cargo capacities on their flights to Budapest. Cargo traffic at Budapest Airport has remained strong in 2020; the BUD Cargo City handled 107 076 tons of air cargo from January to October, which is a good result, even on a global scale.

While cargo traffic has stalled almost completely at some airports, the Hungarian capital airport only registered a 10,3 percent reduction compared to last year, and the number of cargo flights increased by 16.7% to 5007 flights handled in 2020.

Following the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the BUD Cargo City was prepared for the medical supplies arriving during the second wave, and commenced preparations to provide the conditions necessary for the transportation and the storage of the vaccine. An ideal environment and cooperation, based on information sharing and a detailed action plan, with the involvement of experts, ensures that Budapest Airport is ready to support Hungary and the CEE region in the fight against the pandemic.