Pressemitteilung

Unprecedented: Budapest Airport receives Skytrax award for the fifth time!

Budapest
22.03.2018

Pressemitteilung Budapest Airport (nur auf Englisch verfügbar)

Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport was announced ‘Best Airport in Eastern Europe’ for the fifth consecutive time by Skytrax. In the history of the most prestigious award in the industry based on passengers’ votes, winning the title in five consecutive years by the same airport in the region has been unprecedented. Skytrax is a prestigious London-based aviation consultancy which compiles global and regional rankings of airlines and airports every year.

This time Budapest Airport received the award in Stockholm. The biggest European event of the airport business was hosted by the Swedish capital this year; the Skytrax awards were also handed over at the gala event. The title of ‘Best Airport in Eastern Europe’ was won by Budapest Airport for the fifth time in a row now. The value of the price is made special by the fact that it is passengers themselves who make the decision, as the lists are compiled on the basis of interviewing tens of thousands of passengers worldwide. Since this is an anonymous survey, its subjects have no way of influencing the results.

“Winning the Skytrax award for the fifth time means an appreciation for the work of the whole airport community in Budapest. All of them contributed to the continuous development of Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport both in terms of services and the travel experience,” underlined Jost Lammers. The CEO added, “I am so proud of the Budapest team for breaking the record of the most consecutive wins. It is particularly meaningful after a year which saw us welcome nearly two million additional passengers compared with 2016. Not only are we holding our place among the fastest growing major airports in Europe, but we’re also being recognized for our continued promise to provide the best in all the elements which guarantee customer satisfaction.”

On taking over the award in Stockholm, Budapest Airport CCO Kam Jandu said the title acknowledges that the developments at the airport continuously extend the services provided to passengers and offer an increasingly complex experience. 2017 was the year of rapid growth for Budapest Airport. The number of passengers arriving in and departing from Budapest exceeded the 2016 figure by 14.5%, reaching more than 13.1 million in total.

It was also justified by dynamic traffic growth that three years ago Budapest Airport launched its five-year airport development project BUD 2020. One of its key elements is the new 10 000- square-meter pier currently under construction in Terminal 2B, scheduled for handover in the summer of 2018. The capacity of car parks at the airport was increased by a thousand new spaces in 2017, now accommodating more than 4 700 vehicles simultaneously.

The development that may have been the most perceptible for passengers was aimed at extending the check-in area: 11 new desks and about 400 square meters of additional space were handed over to passengers. Since last year, passenger security screening is performed with the latest body scanners, which makes the process quicker and more effective. Significant developments have also been implemented in the transit area of SkyCourt in both retail and F&B areas. After upgrading the WiFi network, ten times as many passengers can now access the internet while waiting for boarding.

The CEO of Budapest Airport said about winning the title, “We are devoted to creating an airport in Budapest which Hungary can be proud of – a premier gateway which, as a local economic generator, contributes to the community. The Skytrax award is a clear indication for us that we are on the right track.”