Budapest Airport’s cargo development has advanced with vast strategic importance in recent years, seeing the Hungarian gateway become a key player in the future of the air cargo industry within Central and Eastern Europe.
Dedicating significant investment and operations, the airport’s cargo traffic has escalated at an immense rate, more than doubling cargo volumes since 2015. Handling 183,000 tonnes last year, Budapest recorded a vigorous 36% increase when compared to 2020.
Following this robust growth, Budapest Airport has become a Trustee Member of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA).
The beginning of this journey started in November 2019 when the capital city airport hosted the TIACA Executive Summit and will continue to collaborate with members to realise the association’s visions including sustainability, safety, and unity within the air cargo industry. Opening the airport’s cargo terminal, BUD Cargo City, in 2020 – an investment of €50m – would not thrive without extensive work on the expansion of the cargo route connectivity at Budapest, providing efficient transport opportunities for forwarders and shippers: “Dealing successfully and responsibly with air cargo needs more than just infrastructure upgrades,” states René Droese chief development officer, Budapest Airport. “You have to think comprehensively ‘in systems’ and be aware of your cargo’s role and its part of the larger environment from many points of view. Cargo at your airport is an important part of the local, regional, and global systems of transport: logistics, economy, society, and environmental aspects. An airport has a significant role with great potential to initiate, coordinate and support the collaboration of the stakeholders in its community, in the interest of a mutually beneficial, efficient, and sustainable cargo development,” adds Droese.
“We are happy to join TIACA at the highest level and be part of a global organisation which has similar goals and knowledge behind it. I believe our co-operation with the association can bring benefits for both parties. I have known Steven Polmans, chairman of TIACA, for quite some time and I see similarities between his passion and commitment towards air cargo and our work at BUD.”“Air cargo is about teamwork, collaboration, adaptation and continuous improvement,” comments József Kossuth, head of cargo, Budapest Airport. “One of our strengths at BUD Cargo is that we have a good air cargo community around us with high collaboration effort and openness for improvements. We would like to approach this opportunity responsibly and use our new co-operation with such a professional partner like TIACA to do great things together in the future in cargo digitisation, cargo processes and organisation, technology upgrades, regulatory environment and other cargo developments.” Steven Polmans, TIACA chair adds: “We are excited to see the overwhelming growth Budapest Airport has experienced over the past couple of years and welcome them into the TIACA Family. Not only their growth, but especially their vision and approach involving the entire air cargo community makes me believe we share a common goal. It was a great pleasure to work with Rene and his team during the 2019 Executive Summit, and we look forward to collaborating with them as Voting Members. By joining the association as a trustee member, Budapest Airport shows their support for our transformation and work of the association and the benefit TIACA can bring to Budapest Airport and the entire air cargo community around it.”
