That was then. Photo: Bloomberg

Just one year ago, in the pre-dawn gloom of Friday February 3, the normally busy but orderly passenger terminals at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc Airport were in chaos. Malév, the debt-laden Hungarian flag carrier, had canceled all flights during the night on fears that its fleet would be impounded at foreign airports in lieu of unpaid bills. The news left thousands of passengers scrambling for alternative flights and Budapest Airport, the operating company, staring at a massive hole in its revenues – given that Malév accounted for 40 per cent of all passenger traffic. Continue reading »

Good and bad news from Liszt Ferenc Airport.

The good: the German-owned operator has introduced an “improved” and “more efficient” parking system.

The bad: you, dear travellers, tourists and business folk, will be paying for it – unless, that is, you can scramble out of your car or taxi, collect you luggage, kiss the spouse, pay the driver and get a receipt – all in less than three minutes flat. Continue reading »

The scene: the back end of an otherwise swish Budapest hotel.

“Excuse my Hungarian press release: we are a low-cost airline, and we use low-cost translators,” said Michael O’Leary, as he squeezed past journalists handing out Ryanair’s latest routes and flight plans from Budapest at noon on Monday. Previously there had been confusion over the airline’s agreements with Budapest airport. O’Leary left no doubts.

Yet as this chapter drew to a close in the fast-flowing story of Budapest airport post-Malev, another was opening up. A government official said on Wednesday that Hungary could face a bill for up to Ft 1tn (€3.45bn) in compensation claims from Hochtief and other investors that own the airport operating company. Continue reading »

The battle to acquire airline passengers from Budapest in the wake of last week’s demise of Malev, the former flag carrier, took a strange turn on Tuesday, when the airport and low-cost airline Ryanair clashed over the availability of flight slots.

Ryanair are selling the flights to the public. Budapest airport say they haven’t agreed terms. Result: a big row. Continue reading »