Interview: Budapest Airport CEO Kam Jandu

Kam Jandu took over as CEO of Budapest Airport (BUD) in May 2023, having previously held roles of CCO and aviation director. He discusses the airport’s traffic recovery, new route successes and ambitions, and the infrastructure development projects underway at Hungary’s main international gateway. Jandu also explains more about the BUD Runway Run, for which Routes is an Official Media Partner.

How is Budapest performing at the moment? Which markets are proving to be strong?

July was not only the fifth month in a row this year when traffic at the airport exceeded 1 million passengers, but we were close to 1.5 million passengers in the seventh month, too. Between January and July, we served 8.2 million passengers in total—24.4% more than the same period in 2022 and more than in the whole of 2021. The total annual passenger figure recorded so far in 2023 is now only 9.2% below our record year of 2019, and we expect to exceed 14.3 million passengers for the full year.

Overall, this is very close to 2019, and more than 2 million more passengers than we served in 2022. With this trend, we expect a full recovery of pre-pandemic passenger numbers by the end of 2024, putting us back on a true growth trajectory.

Certain destinations have already performed above average this year. For example, passenger traffic between Hungary and Spain and Hungary and Italy was close to 2019 volumes, while traffic between Turkey, Israel, South Korea and Hungary exceeded 2019 levels, showing excellent progress.

What new routes have been secured this year?

In the summer season, 38 airlines are offering 121 destinations from Budapest. Long-haul flights have been dominated by the return of several Chinese connections, with flights to Shanghai, Beijing and Chongqing available again, and we recently celebrated the launch of a direct Budapest-Ningbo flight, a completely new destination in our schedule.

In terms of intra-European flights, this year saw the launch of a Budapest-Madeira service, which was an instant hit with passengers, and new flights to Turkey, a popular destination for Hungarians, with daily connections to Istanbul’s main airport and three weekly flights to the holiday destination of Antalya.

There are also plenty of options to Egypt, with Egyptair flying to Cairo four times a week and Wizz Air opening flights to the new Sphinx Airport from the start of the winter season. Wizz Air and Air Cairo offer five flights a week to Hurghada, and from October, Sharm El Sheikh will also be directly accessible three times a week.

Three new direct flights to Saudi Arabia have been added to our offer, and the Budapest-Belfast and Budapest-Belgrade connections are also new flights. There will also be new services to the Nordic region, with daily flights to Copenhagen from Budapest in the winter schedule, so we are very excited by these route developments.

Are there any destinations you are still looking to recover since the pandemic? Which markets are unserved or underserved from Budapest?

North American connections are still to come back, with the return of New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Toronto being the top priorities. In this respect, I am optimistic for next year—I hope that we will have several flights starting to the region in 2024 and I am sure that Xi’an and Chengdu in China will soon return, too, and remain priorities for our team.

BUD is strong when it comes to LCC point-to-point service. Are there ambitions to increase your share of transfer traffic?

There are currently no full-service carriers at Budapest Airport that specifically serve transfer passengers, but the city’s geographical location, the number of destinations available and the strong LCC coverage make Ferenc Liszt International Airport an ideal self-connecting airport. We currently handle hundreds of thousands of passengers who arrive at their final destination via Budapest Airport. We see a lot of potential in this area, and we have several projects underway that are expected to further increase the number of people choosing to self-connect in Budapest, and in the longer term using our self-transfer product.

What infrastructure developments are underway at BUD?

Since 2019, we have been continuously improving the airport’s infrastructure. To give just a few examples, in 2020 we opened the new Pier 1, providing a wonderful and airy ambience for the 14 boarding gates located there. We also increased the number of security screening lanes to 20 over the last few years, completed a new baggage sorting hall, increased the capacity of the baggage reclaim areas and made significant developments in air cargo. The expansion of the BUD Cargo City facility will be completed soon, and we are handing over the new cargo apron as well as new offices and warehouses, which will be added to the complex.

When will Terminal 1 reopen and what are the longer-term plans for Terminal 3?

We currently have the capacity to serve 16+ million passengers at a high standard, which Terminal 1 will be able to expand with a further 4.5 to 5 million passengers. Moreover, the so-called Terminal 3 will provide a much larger order of magnitude—up to 30 million passengers. This is important not only to maintain the current level of service, but also because tourism accounts for around 13% of Hungary’s GDP, and we need to expand to help the country promote more trade. The airport is a key player in this, as the majority of tourists arrive in the country by air.

Our plans for the reopening of Terminal 1 are ready, we are only waiting for the building permit. Preparations for the construction of Terminal 3 and the related infrastructure are ongoing. We are preparing studies, phasing the project and preparing to launch the design tender. In parallel, Terminal 2 will be completely transformed.

How are you managing this expansion alongside your sustainability commitments?

Sustainable operation and the reduction of emissions is not just a project for Budapest Airport, but one of our key guiding principles. Not only in the two aforementioned projects, but in all developments, compliance with these principles is a primary consideration. Our sustainability strategy also covers water management, waste management, noise protection, the promotion of e-mobility, the use of green energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to zero. As far as the construction industry is concerned, it is undeniably one of the industries with the greatest environmental impact, which is why this year we joined the Hungary Green Building Council, becoming a member of a professional community where we can share knowledge, experience and good practices in sustainable construction and incorporate the knowledge we have gained into the execution of these developments.

What is the background to the Runway Run and how can the community get involved?

We held the first Runway Run in 2013, but we had wanted to bring a special running race to the airport for years before that. Two-hundred-and-fifty runners took part in a special half-marathon relay on Runway 1 in the first event. Now, we have more than 1,000 enthusiastic participants a year. It is not just the location that makes the race special—proceeds from the Runway Run have been donated to charity ever since the first year.

Thanks to the race, we have been able to support a number of organizations over the years, in partnership with the airport community, to a value of more than €274,000 ($298,000) in total. Of this, the SUHANJ! Foundation has spent HUF47 million ($132,300) over the past eight years to support disabled athletes, from the proceeds of the Runway Run alone. We also supported the British Anthony Nolan foundation for years, which helps children with blood cancer. For the first time this year, besides the SUHANJ! Foundation, we are supporting the Save Lives Non-profit Foundation, which also has a Hungarian background, with half of the proceeds from the Runway Run.

Fortunately, there is a growing willingness to give back, not only from companies, but also from the many individuals who participate, who want to help as much as they can. Therefore, unlike in the past, interested parties have the opportunity to register not only through a prize draw, but also on a first-come, first-served basis this year. They can do this by following a call for entries published on our online channels, where 100 people will be given the opportunity to register for the race initially. These places were taken in just a few hours, so we decided to further expand the number of entries available to civilian competitors, so 200 such entries are being offered to date. It is important to note that this does not mean free entry, because when it comes to donations, every bit counts and we look forward to welcoming our regular and new airline and aviation partners from the global community. Running is fun, healthy and, as our charity partners can testify, very rewarding!