The total number of passengers registered by the airport in the seventh month of the year was close to 1.5 million.
Between January and July, the airport served 8.2 million passengers in total, about 24% more than during the same period in 2022 and more than in the whole of 2021.
The total annual passenger figure recorded so far in 2023 is now only 9.2% below Budapest Airport's record year of 2019. The airport expects to exceed 14.3 million passengers for the full year.
Overall, this is very close to 2019 passenger numbers and more than 2 million more than in 2022.
With this trend, the airport's operator expects a full recovery of pre-pandemic passenger numbers by the end of 2024.
The airport also completed an extension of the BUD Cargo City apron, less than 10 months after the start of the project.
Budapest Airport argues that this development will make the handling process even more efficient, by enabling the simultaneous loading of up to four wide-body aircraft, with a nose-loading option, which is critical for freighter operations. A Qatar Cargo Boeing B777F aircraft with a special livery was the first to take possession of the new apron, during Budapest Airport’s inauguration ceremony.
Although the volume of air cargo in the first seven months of the year is 4.7% lower than the same time last year, the 16,390 tons handled at the airport in July is around 12% higher than in July 2022. The total volume of 107,000 tons of air cargo handled this year forecasts that Budapest Airport can look forward to another record year, while the development of the BUD Cargo City will enable the company and the cargo ecosystem to handle up to 300,000 tons of volume per year.
Cargo developments will continue after the opening of the apron, the airport notes, as the available warehouse space in the BUD Cargo City will be expanded by a further 6,500 sqm, along with offices and other supporting infrastructure.
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