Budapest Airport keeps flying in 2017, handling a record 30,060 tonnes of cargo in the first quarter of 2017, up 32.3 per cent on 2016.
Of these 30,060 tonnes, 20,455 of them were air cargo, up 20.8 per cent on the first quarter of 2016. In March, Budapest handled 11,536 tonnes of cargo, up 33.3 per cent year-on-year, including 7,864 tonnes of airfreight, a 20 per cent increase.
Budapest Airport director of property and cargo, Rene Droese says the airport is embarking on a new phase for cargo, and has seen 40 months of continuous growth, with new freighter flights, passenger services and integrators.
He says: “We are pleased to support developing companies in Hungary across all sectors, including the automotive, electronic, communication, pharmaceutical, biotech, machinery, medical equipment, and live animal industries. The forwarders transporting this cargo are keen to find new cargo routes and access more direct transport options.”
Budapest has welcomed new freighter flights from Qatar Airways Cargo and increased services from partners including Cargolux and Turkish Cargo.
Belly hold capacity has come from airlines including Emirates Airlines and Air China, and Budapest is served by the four major integrators: DHL, FedEx, TNT and UPS.
The new warehouse and office complex for DHL Express and TNT Express nears completion as part of the HUF50 billion ($174.7 million) “BUD:2020 Development Programme”, which will also see the construction of new facilities called Cargo City.
The warehouse and office complex, totalling more than 18,000m2 will open this summer, and will include an automated sorting system as well as enhanced shipment process capabilities.
The Cargo City, due to be completed in 2019, will have a handling capacity of 150,000 tonnes a year, and will not only expand the cargo handling capacity at the airport, but provide centralised cargo operations, customs clearance and certified storage for special cargo with a focus on temperature controlled goods.
Budapest Airport cargo manager, Jozsef Kossuth says: “We believe this to be an optimal environment for air cargo. Our goal is to create an efficient infrastructure and an ideal platform for air cargo distribution, which will be inviting for cargo partners, new airlines, and forwarders.”
