Regional industry, belly growth drive record volumes at Budapest Airport

Strong industrial activity across Central Europe pushed cargo volumes at Hungary’s Budapest Airport up 19.6 percent over the first seven months of 2017 to a record high, as the airport readies for even more U.S. traffic with the launch of new routes early next year. The latest numbers put the Central European airport on track for another year of record cargo growth, as global demand for airfreight continues its multiple year recovery.

“The high export volumes are testament to the continued industrial development of the Central European region,” explained Jozsef Kossuth, Cargo Manager, Budapest Airport.

From January to July 2017, Budapest Airport processed a record 72,161 tonnes of cargo, of which 49,420 tonnes was air cargo, with the remainder being trucked cargo.

“Budapest has a balanced market share, with inbound cargo at 47 per cent in the first half of the year, and outbound cargo at 53 per cent,” said Kossuth. “All segments of our community, including freighters, belly cargo, and integrators enjoyed volume increase in this period compared to 2016, which was already a record cargo year at Budapest Airport.”

North America and Central America combined, and Asia were the largest markets for Budapest Airport, each accounting for approximately 45 percent of total volumes, the remaining ten percent was Middle East, South America, and Africa traffic.

Budapest Airport said that its strong showing was thanks to a thriving belly cargo network, which it hopes to expand on next year. So far, LOT Polish Airlines plans to launch six direct flights per week from Budapest to New York and Chicago in May 2018. American Airlines is also scheduled to launch a daily service from Philadelphia, USA, to Budapest in the summer of 2018.

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