Best of Budapest & Hungary

5 May 2025. Budapest’s international airport, the gateway to Hungary, was opened to the traveling public exactly seventy-five years ago, on 7 May 1950. Over the past seven and a half decades, hundreds of millions of passengers and millions of aircraft have used the runways and terminal buildings at Ferihegy, and the airport has been voted Europe’s best several times, based on passenger ratings, while its role as a regional hub for air cargo has been consolidated. Budapest Airport, part of the VINCI Airports network, has prepared for its anniversary year with a number of interesting events and activities.

    75 years, more than 302 million passengers, 3.1 million tons of cargo – this is how the history of Budapest’s international airport, which has been operating for seventy-five years, can be summarized in a few words and figures. Since the opening ceremony on 7 May 1950, the airport has been operating for 27,396 days, and its employees now handle nearly 60,000 passengers a day, which exceeds the total annual traffic recorded in the year of opening. Today, an average of 300 flights arrive and depart from the airport every day, and at the end of 2024, flights connected Budapest to 142 foreign destinations. Budapest Airport has won the award for best European airport twice, its world-class infrastructure, supporting its role as a regional hub, has received numerous prestigious awards, and its sustainability efforts are among the best in the world.

    Budapest Airport is celebrating its seven and a half decades of history with a year-long series of events. Today, the name of Ferenc Liszt is intertwined with the airport; similarly to music and the masterpieces of the world-famous composer and great traveler, travel also connects people from all corners of the world. This is the spirit that permeates the airport operator’s series of festive events, which commemorate both the 75th anniversary of the airport and the eponymous composer. Throughout the year, the general public - both Hungarians and travelers visiting the airport - will be able to enjoy numerous exciting activities, both in the terminals and online. Interestingly, this year also marks another important anniversary in this respect, as one of the composer’s most famous pieces, Liebesträume (Dreams of Love), is 175 years old.

    Budapest Airport is celebrating the 7 May anniversary with, among other things, a special video created using artificial intelligence, which brings the past to life and once again fills the iconic Terminal 1, with its many fond memories, with new life. The video can be viewed here. For those who would like to learn more about the history of the airport, Budapest Airport recommends the series of articles produced in collaboration with the Aviation Cultural Center, available on the company’s social media platforms from May.