Budapest Airport (BUD) will add at least 12 new routes this year from its low-cost partners Wizz Air, Ryanair and EasyJet, plus one to Toronto in Canada from newcomer Air Canada rouge, from March onwards (see table below).

The additions build on a new record in 2015 when the Hungarian airport served 10.3m passengers, a rise of +12.5% against a European average of just +5%, making BUD one of Europe’s fastest growing airports.

With several months breaking the one million pax mark, the upturn has been chiefly credited to the addition of three new airlines and 18 new routes throughout 2015. That meant a total of 44 airlines connected BUD to 95 destinations last year.

Commenting on the developments, Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport, says: “The airport’s incredible health last year allowed us to successfully deliver growth levels among the best in Europe. We enter 2016 in a strong position and it remains imperative for us to continue to grow and build upon these solid foundations.”

NEW FOR 2016

With +22% growth over the past five years, BUD says it is expecting “to take 2016 by storm” with its new routes.

The Air Canada rouge addition significantly boosts the capital city airport’s links to Canada. Home-based carrier, Wizz Air, will build most capacity with the launch of connections to Nice, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Liverpool, Reykjavik/Keflavik, while welcoming the return of a direct link to Baku. The carrier is also adding a further weekly connection to Ibiza during the height of the summer season.

Meanwhile, Ryanair will be broadening its schedule from Budapest, commencing services to Malaga, Malta, Gran Canaria and Corfu, offering 18 routes in total. Fulfilling a long-standing wish for Budapest, easyJet will begin a thrice-weekly service to Lyon from 26 April; the French city has been the airport’s largest indirectly served destination in Europe.

ADVERTISING TENDER

BUD is now tendering for a 7-10 year concession to operate its advertising sites. The airport is seeking companies from the Hungarian and global market with international experience in the sale and operation of advertising at transport hubs such as airports, railway terminals, and metro lines.

The tender documentation is available for €400 + VAT, subject to the signing of a confidentiality statement. Requests and payment need to be received by 14:00hrs on 26 January. For more details click here or email [email protected].