The entire new passenger boarding facility, called pier 1, has been completed by 23 June and commissioned for passenger operations at Liszt Ferenc International Airport today. The first phase of pier 1 was handed over by Budapest Airport already in January. The extensive glazed surfaces and wooden beams of the 11 500-square-meter structure create a Scandinavian vibe, and aircraft are parked at only a few meters from the building, making boarding and disembarkation faster and more convenient than ever.
The building satisfies all needs; passengers can spend their time before departure in a beautiful and comfortable environment that is spacious and fully meets epidemiological criteria. The construction of pier 1 – with a price tag of 11.5 billion HUF (EUR 33 million) – was started on 19 July 2019, and execution of all sections including the corridor connecting it to Terminal 2A was completed in record time, 339 days. With this, Liszt Ferenc International Airport fulfilled its promise to complete construction of the new pier before the beginning of the summer travel season. In the past few weeks the airport operator was only waiting for delivery of the occupancy permit to be able to hand over the entire structure (including the connecting corridor) to passengers.
The implementation of pier 1 is part of the cooperation program between the Hungarian Government and Budapest Airport; the project was fully funded by Budapest Airport from its own financial sources.
Dr. Rolf Schnitzler, the CEO of Budapest Airport Zrt emphasized, “I am very proud of the new pier and the feedback we are receiving from passengers, airline partners, and ground-handlers who are completely satisfied with the new facility. This building is one of the gems in our series of airport development projects that have been ongoing for more than a year now, and it clearly demonstrates that the continuous improvement of service quality is our top priority. Over 12 months we spent EUR 100 million on development, and we will not stop the process in upcoming years either. Airport management is fully committed to continuously improving the facilities and the passenger experience, also aiming to maintain our position of best airport in the region.”
The new 11 500-square-meter building increases the space available to passengers by several thousand square meters. Pier 1 ensures that passengers can arrive or wait for departure in a bright, heated and air-conditioned building which also offers shops and extra services to satisfy travelers’ needs. The facility provides 8 pedestrian boarding gates directly connected to aircraft stands, enabling a smooth and convenient boarding process. There are also 6 boarding gates where buses transport passengers to airplanes parked on remote stands.
The central hall of pier 1 features convenient waiting and rest areas,3 high-capacity obstacle-free toilet blocks, and a smoking terrace. A brand new Relay news and books store and Cafe Frei coffee outlet will open in the next 3 weeks, followed by a bespoke Heinemann duty free store from the beginning of October. It is a great advantage of the facility that its connection to Terminal 2A does not require passengers after check-in to leave the comfort of the building at all, as they can reach the spacious 120-meter-long new building from the main terminal building through a new connection building also equipped with escalators and elevators.
The new facility can comfortably accommodate up to 5000 passengers at the same time, offering 2500 seats in total in its spacious waiting areas. Budapest Airport installed 580 USB chargers in pier 1 where passengers can charge their gadgets before departure. Flight information is made available throughout the pier by 149 flight information display screens and 145 public address loudspeakers.