[ad_1]
In September, passenger traffic at Liszt Ferenc International Airport fell 94 percent compared to the previous year, Budapest Airport reported. At the same time, trade in goods declined by only a few percentage points.
This brutal reduction in passenger numbers is unique in Europe. According to Airports Council International, the decline in Europe due to the coronavirus has averaged 72 percent, or less than a quarter of the number of passengers. Within this, Italy and southern Europe are the best, with just a 69 percent drop in passengers. In Germany, Northern Europe and the Benelux, the decline is 78 to 79 percent. The best period was in the summer, when the average turnover was only 65 percent lower than in 2019.
With its 76 percent drop, Eastern Europe is in the middle, and within this, Budapest shows pretty bad numbers.
The reason is obvious: the border blockade. Although entry into Europe is free (the regulation only stipulates quarantine and compulsory tests), in principle, a foreigner cannot enter Hungary. This, in turn, is essentially focused on airport traffic.
It is not yet known how long the government will maintain the border blockade; the regulation that regulates it will always be valid until the end of the month in question. So, in principle, the country can open from November 1. Or it will be closed for another month with another amendment. After that, the question will be if there will be any changes at Christmas.
It is not yet known whether the sale of the airport that fell into Sleeping Beauty’s dream will be affected by the border blockade or not. It is true that the negotiating position of potential buyers will be reinforced by this situation, however, it would be premature to consider this party decided. In recent years, the airport has changed hands even after full privatization, and it is attracting the attention of Hungarian investors time and again. Recently, Daniel Jellinek, head of the Indotek group, confirmed that they are negotiating the purchase of the airport. As the entire market has changed in price, this could be a basis for negotiations for both parties, presumably to get to the airport at a much better price.
(Cover image: Liszt Ferenc Airport Terminal 2 on April 8, 2020. Photo: István Huszti / Index)
[ad_2]
