Budapest reports strong half-year profit

Print Article E-Mail Article

The company reports 71% growth in operating profit as it prepares to renovate terminal one

Budapest Airport has reported a 71% rise in first-half operating profit at the city's Ferihegy airport. The company achieved profit of Ft2.4bn ($11.7m) for the six months on revenues of Ft14.5bn ($70.4m), it said in a statement.

The company predicted further gains from an Ft8.7bn ($42.3m) modernisation of Ferihegy terminal one in the autumn, and said it expected to generate total revenues of over Ft30bn ($145.8m) for 2004.

Hungarian Duty Free (HDF), the principal operator at Ferihegy, is in negotiations with airport authority Budapest Airport to increase its retail space at the airport. HDF managing director Ervin Jàvor told TRW the company could relocate from its temporary store in terminal one to a 400-500sq m (4,300-5,380sq ft) outlet following its renovation this September. The move would increase commercial space to between 1,400sq m (15,070sq ft) and 1,700sq m (18,300sq ft) and is set to boost passenger capacity to 2.5m.