Budapest Airport invests EUR 32.6 million into new Cargo City
On September 21st, 2018, Budapest Airport initiated the construction of the new freight center with a groundbreaking ceremony. Building the “Cargo City”, the Hungarian hub wants to expand its handling capacity and thus consolidate its role “as a leading gateway in the region of Central Eastern Europe”. The project is part of the EUR 160 million development program “BUD: 2020” at the Hungarian hub.
As part of the “BUD: 2020” development program, Budapest Airport opened two new express facilities with 16,000 m² in 2017. The first phase of the project, which is about to commence, comprises around 20,000 m² of storage, office and supply space as well as two parking spaces for Boeing 747-800F with cargo loading areas. For this purpose, an investment volume of EUR 32.6 million was estimated. The transhipment facility will join the cargo operations and expand the handling capacity, and thus enable Budapest airport to handle the expected increase in air cargo volum over the next few years.
Following a rapid business development – 39 per cent over two years – airfreight handling at Budapest Airport in 2017 reached a record level of 127,145 tonnes. Between January and August 2018, the airport recorded a further increase in tonnage of 15.5 per cent over the same period last year.
The goal was to create the ideal environment for global air freight from and to Europe with the “Cargo City” project, explained René Droese, Head of Air Freight and Real Estate Budapest Airport, in a press conference on 21st September. With the new partners AirBridgeCargo and Silk Way West Airline Services, newly acquired in 2018, there are now five cargo airlines at BUD.
The long-standing existing customers Cargolux, Turkish Airlines Cargo and Qatar Airways Cargo also recorded volume increases. In addition, BUD’s cargo offer continues to grow thanks to belly capacities in the passenger aircraft of LOT, American Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Air China and Air Canada Rouge.
Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport: “Air freight is of strategic importance to BUD. Thanks to the new Cargo City, we can ensure that we continue to provide our growing customer base with efficient and modern facilities.” Just this summer, Budapest Airport welcomed Kuehne + Nagel as a new cargo customer and opened four new North American routes linking New York, Chicago and Philadelphia in the US and Toronto, Canada, with Budapest.