Budapest Airport registers more than 600,000 travelers in H1 2021

Transport

Image by Budapest Airport/Róbert Baranyi

Ferenc Liszt International Airport handled some 603,585 passengers in the first half of 2021, according to a press release sent to the Budapest Business Journal.

Almost half of the passengers (some 266,481 people) were registered in June. The traffic in June was more than three times higher compared to May. 

In addition, capacity offered by airlines almost doubled in the second quarter compared to last year, and in the case of popular destinations, even grew by up to 500%. 

Thanks to increasing vaccination coverage worldwide and the gradual easing of travel restrictions, more and more people choose to travel by air again. The current dynamic recovery is expected to continue in July and August as the summer season starts, the airport says.

Recently, airlines reacted to the easing of travel restrictions in a flexible way and gradually rebuilt or increased the frequency of their flights, depending on growing demand for certain destinations when borders were opened or entry became easier.

From Budapest, passengers could fly to 153 destinations before the pandemic, of which 90 were available in June 2021, while up to 120 destinations are expected to be accessible with scheduled flights from the Hungarian capital in the coming months. In June, the airport handled an average of 250-300 scheduled flights weekly. In addition to these, charter flights to the most popular destinations – the summer resorts of Egypt, Greece, and Turkey – restarted as well.

In spite of the crisis, Hurghada, Egypt was added to the schedule as a new route last year, and became the most popular holiday destination of 2021. The Egyptian city is followed by Barcelona and Antalya. Overall, flights to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and London were chosen most often in the first six months of the year.

Chris Dinsdale, the CEO of Budapest Airport said: “In the first half of the year, we strived to rebuild most of the destinations available in the record year of 2019, so travelers departing from and arriving in Budapest could choose from a broad portfolio of destinations. The EU Digital COVID Certificate regulation which came into effect in early July is a huge step towards recovering European aviation passenger traffic, because the more reliable and predictable traveling is, the more people get on board again.”

“Our job, as airport operator, is to prepare and ensure the infrastructure and sufficient staff numbers to handle the recovering traffic and to create a safe environment for staying at the airport, while paying maximal attention to our passengers and their comfort,” he added.

New health protection recommendations at Ferenc Liszt International

From July 3, it is no longer mandatory for passengers to wear a face mask at the terminals of Budapest Airport. However, it is recommended for travelers to pack one in their hand baggage, since they must wear it on board aircraft and may need it at their destination as well.

It is recommended to arrive at the airport two hours before the flight departs, or when it is indicated by the airline. The airport operator requests that only passengers should enter the terminal, if possible, to minimalize the number of people present in the building at the same time.

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