Budapest Airport has witnessed its best-ever start to a year, resulting in the Hungarian gateway breaking the monthly one million passenger mark in April, a month earlier than it did last year. Following its 40th consecutive month of growth, Budapest recorded an impressive 17.5% year on year increase in passenger traffic in April, more than double the EU gross average of 7%. As one of Europe's fastest growing major airports, early forecasts show Hungary's capital city airport will welcome more than 12 million passengers in 2017, breaking yet another record.

Growth in passenger figures has been driven primarily by multiple new routes being added to Budapest's schedule in the first months of 2017 " having already launched 11 new services this year, the airport has 13 more still to start. We will offer close to 800,000 more seats this summer than in 2016, a considerable 8% increase in the height of our peak season, stated Jost Lammers, CEO, Budapest Airport. So far this year we've seen our passenger records beaten on a monthly basis as well as a significant reduction in our seasonality. With the marked expansion in our summer schedule we're in no doubt that we will continue on this path of rapid growth, added Lammers.

With Hungary welcoming over 16 million visitors for the first time in its tourism history, Budapest Airport is investing €160 million into its infrastructure over the next three years to ensure it can meet the requirements of its future growth and continuous route network expansion. Hungary's captial city airport's development plan bud:2020, includes the construction of a 145-room airport hotel opening later this year, a new pier in the non-Schengen area due to be completed by S18, check-in extensions opening this summer, and several new facilities for cargo integrators and handlers. Lammers continued: We can proudly state that the number of passengers passing through our terminal is truly remarkable. If growth continues at this rate we may well need to accelerate new terminal plans within our master planning programme.