Budapest Airport handled a total of 3,859,379 arriving and departing passengers in 2020, registering a 76% decline from 2019. According to data by EuroContol, the pandemic and the related national restrictions brought about a significant drop in passengers in Europe as a whole. The number of passengers in Europe dropped by 1.7 billion, while the number of flights fell by about 6 million.
Rolf Schnitzler, CEO of Budapest Airport, stated that passenger numbers are expected to increase from the 2021 summer schedule period, which is greatly dependent on the availability and the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine and the course of the pandemic.
“Budapest Airport is ready for the restart of traffic,” he emphasized. “Although we experienced a significant setback last year, work at Budapest Airport did not stop. Countless investment projects have been completed, and we used the period of low traffic for developments that would have been difficult to implement during normal traffic conditions. A renewed and modern environment awaits the return of passengers, thanks to last year’s infrastructural, capacity expansion, and digital developments. Passengers can be assured that the airport is safe from an epidemiological perspective – the health measures applied by Budapest Airport were also certified by international airport and airline organizations ACI and EASA in 2020."
The projects carried out by the airport in 2020 included a new, 11,500 sqm passenger pier, where passengers can wait for the departure of their flights amidst convenient surroundings, and a baggage sorting hall increasing baggage sorting capacities by 50%. The area in front of the terminal building, used for parking, passenger pickup and drop-off, has been refurbished. The flooring in the departure hall of Terminal 2A has been changed, and the walkway connecting Business and Terminal Parking with the terminal has been upgraded, offering better protection from adverse weather conditions.
Restroom capacity has been increased by nearly 75% and 11 new drinking fountains were also added. Contact between people can be minimized with the automatic systems installed over the past year, and Budapest Airport has been safeguarding the health of passengers and staff with continuous disinfectant cleaning since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the press release.
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