A huge welcome sign as tall as a three-storey building greets Hungary’s rotating presidency of the EU on the control tower at Ferihegy Airport.
Budapest Airport will spend no less than 56 million HUF (approximately 200 000 EUR) in total on ensuring that Hungary’s aerial gateway is able to appropriately welcome the leaders and the experts of the European Union during the six months commencing on 1 January 2011.
“BUD Welcomes the EU Presidency” – This is the inscription on the gigantic (approximately 20 by 15 meter) poster which Budapest Airport has fitted onto the control tower at Ferihegy Airport for the next six months. As a result, EU leaders and diplomats, the members of the populous delegations of experts will already be able to join the atmosphere and the work of the Hungarian EU presidency at the moment when they touch down on the concrete at Ferihegy.
The manufacturing and the fastening of the highly weather and storm-proof (which is important for aviation safety reasons) poster cost about 4.5 million HUF, whilst the welcome sign placed on the façade of Terminal 2A cost about half as much.
Not only welcome signs, but a series of considerable capital expenditure projects also had to be implemented to ensure that Budapest Airport is able to appropriately welcome and handle the approximately 40 000 passengers referred to by the media as “EU tourists”, who will include heads of state and Prime Ministers, as well as an army of experts, assistants and interpreters, preparing for the various meetings. The investments include the construction of an internal service road at the airport to the recently completed Hungarian Post hall, which will be used to receive high-level government delegations with a minimum of disturbance to other traffic at the airport and in the Hungarian capital. The Hungarian Post building will operate as a temporary government lounge at the airport for six months. In the spirit of economy, later on Budapest Airport will re-use the IT and security equipment installed here during other investment projects.
According to current estimates, Budapest Airport will spend about 56 million HUF (approximately 200 000 EUR) on capital expenditure projects connected to the EU presidency, which will include the reconstruction of certain VIP lounges for EU guests, as well as a number of investments to increase comfort and security. Out of the total sum, the airport will be able to utilize about 12.6 million HUF later on for other projects.
It is a random coincidence, but one of symbolic value, that the new terminal building called the SkyCourt will be opened at Ferihegy in March 2011, for which Budapest Airport received some EU funding. The huge, 24 000 square meter facility will ensure greatly enhanced service quality for the aerial passengers of the Hungarian capital.
Hungarian EU presidency: Budapest Airport ready to welcome guests
