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BUD Cargo City Building Construction Completed

Cargo City

BUD Cargo City Building Construction Completed

Only nine months after the start date, Budapest Airport confirmed construction for the largest BUD Cargo City building has been completed and was celebrated with a topping out ceremony earlier this week.

“The topping out ceremony marks another important step towards the opening of BUD Cargo City, which will cement our position as the air cargo hub for Central and Eastern Europe”, said Rene Droese, Chief Property and Cargo Officer. “Since record-breaking air cargo volumes and growth in 2018, handled volumes have remained stable at BUD this year, bucking the industry-wide trend for 2019.”

As part of Budapest Airport’s dedicated freight terminal, builders diligently worked on the outer structure of two warehouses covering 21,600 m2 within nine months of beginning construction. Next steps will move construction to completing the interior space.

Additionally, Budapest Airport confirmed BUD Cargo City will provide new parking positions for simultaneously handing two Boeing B-747-8F aircraft with the addition of a 11,200 m2 forwarder building and a 32,000 m2 concrete apron.

“The pre-leasing ratio of BUD Cargo City demonstrates a clear demand for high-quality facilities, and we believe that with all efforts and steps to create an ideal home for air cargo at BUD, we will attract much more cargo from our catchment zone in the future than today,” said Droese.

Budapest Airport Connects Hungary and China with New Agreements

Budapest Airport continues bridging the gap in aviation connectivity between China and Hungary through its most recent airport agreements signed during the Hungarian-Chinese Forum last week. The agreement involves two Chinese airports (Xi’an Xianyang and Zhengzhou Xinzheng International) that further support Budapest Airport’s goal for providing primary logistics and distribution support for China in the Central and Eastern European regions.

Péter Szijjártó, minister of foreign affairs and trade, represented Hungary at the forum and commented on the agreement at the signing ceremony:

“Between two countries ­like these – with quite a distance between them geographically – strong economic cooperation is only possible if they are well-connected, which is why aviation connections, direct flights between Hungary and China, are of key importance. For this reason, we are delighted that a cooperation agreement between the airport of Xi’an and Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport is signed, as this agreement may link additional Chinese cities to the network where direct flights are available from Hungary, from Budapest. In addition to economic ties, our connections in tourism can also be developed further. Last year, a record number of 256 thousand Chinese tourists visited Hungary, representing a growth rate of 14 percent.”

Budapest Airport reported that it doubled its weekly capacity in cargo flights between Budapest, Hong Kong and Zhengzhou as a result of support from Hungarian diplomats and trade promotion experts. Additionally, the recent agreement further enhances opportunities to develop freight flows between Chinese locations and Budapest.

“The foundation stone was laid with the direct connection to Zhengzhou, and now it is time to further intensify our cooperation with our new Chinese partners, and thus exploit the enormous potential in the freight business in particular. Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Budapest share a great dynamic of growth, and we are very confident that we can mutually benefit from this cooperation,” said Jost Lammers, the CEO of Budapest Airport.


SOURCING THE BEST CARRIER/AIRPORT CONNECTIONS

Sourcing the best airport connection can be tough when big-name companies such as Amazon Air continue to announce expansions to create and delegate more space for operations. As a prime example, Amazon Air is aggressively taking over regions in the Midwest and South through increased fulfillment centers and expanding air cargo capabilities.

Back in December, Amazon Air confirmed the expansion investment of the Chicago Rockford Airport region by 120,000 square feet to make room for an additional eight-plus planes. The quickly growing logistics network Amazon prides itself in is provided with all the tools needed to continue leveraging growth momentum. Additionally, the company is not afraid to call out the need for the potential threat the expansion poses to competitors UPS and FedEx by adding that such competitive disruption is necessary.

Additionally, Amazon announced plans to expand its network in the Lone Star State at the Lonestar Dallas Air Hub, projecting “to handle multiple flights daily” that “will be tailored specifically to Amazon Air’s larger-scale regional needs.” A Morgan Stanley report estimates that “Amazon’s volumes moving onto Amazon Air are costing UPS/FDX Air roughly 200-300 bps of volume growth.”

Consider the substantial air-cargo growth reported for Budapest Airport. Most recently, the Central European hub confirmed record rates of double-digit growth for three years straight. It seems every time Budapest Airport makes the news, it’s to report on higher growth rates from before.

“These latest figures are exciting as they represent three years of uninterrupted double-digit growth at the airport,” says René Droese, Budapest Airport’s director of Property and Cargo. “We are focusing all our efforts to make good use of the ideal conditions in Budapest and turn Liszt Ferenc International Airport into a major cargo logistics hub for the Central-Eastern European region. For this, we are establishing appropriate technical, security and traffic conditions; the relevant projects entered the phase of implementation last year, and we can successfully complete them this year. As a first step we handed over a 16,000 m2 new cargo warehouse and office capacity for our integrator partners in 2017; their traffic has been constantly developing for years.”

To continue these significant growth rates for 2019, the airport is preparing a new cargo apron to house and simultaneously operate two Boeing B-747-8F freighters.

“The combined value of this development effort in 2019 reaches EUR46 million and is financed by Budapest Airport itself,” Droese notes. “Our goal is to deliver, by the end of this year, an ideal cargo infrastructure for all segments of our well-balanced customer portfolio, for full freighters, belly cargo, integrators and roader feeder trucking, too.”

The common denominator is proactive efforts to leverage and increase the momentum before it’s too late. Key considerations include regional advantages, current and potential partnerships, operational efficiencies and even integrating technology solutions that streamline communications and transports.

“Rising demand is illustrated by the fact that last year a number of widebody and jumbo freighters were being loaded at the airport each day, including Boeing B-747s operated by Cargolux, AirBridgeCargo and Silk Way West, and Airbus A300s, A310s, A330s used by Turkish Cargo and Qatar Airways Cargo,” Droese says.

Many might recall the June 2018 Air Cargo Advance Screening Program mandating foreign shipments to be subject to providing a laundry list of pre-arrival cargo data when the U.S. is the final destination, per measures from the Department of Homeland Security. Strict screenings such as these have been implemented globally, as recently reported for Dubai Customs, which prides itself on significant progress in performance due to the advanced infrastructure as well as supportive government policies assisting in facilitating global trade efforts. The success is also paired with a proactive approach involving careful evaluation and research of trade trends.

Director of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, explains: “We have an integrated strategy in place to develop the external trade performance further following the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, and along with the guidelines of Dubai Plan 2021 and the UAE Centennial 2071. We are watching closely the changes taking place in the international trade and we will turn challenges into opportunities by entering new markets and expanding our existing ones.”

More recently, however, Dubai Customs reported several cases where significant smuggling attempts were stopped because of the diligence and seamless communication strategies in place. One report identified 922 successfully prevented smuggling attempts, of which 38.5 percent were drug contrabands. Even more interesting is the time-frame the attempts occurred: between January and September of 2018.

“Thanks to our inspectors’ vigilance, we are closely in full control of all checkpoints,” explains Ibrahim Al Kamali, Dubai Customs’ director of Passenger Operations. “Our inspection officers receive the best training on body language and different types of drugs, and how to distinguish fake brands from genuine ones.”

“There are challenges facing customs authorities in countries that have strategic locations,” Musabih points out. “Dubai is not an exception. It’s strategically located between East and West, and it has spent billions of dirhams to develop its infrastructure, ports and airports.

“The Emirate has also provided an unprecedented host of services and products, including the iDeclare application which significantly reduces passengers’ time needed to declare different belongings. These advanced services will facilitate passengers’ entry into the country.”

From security and trust to reliability and competition, sourcing the best carrier and airport connection needs to align with customer needs, the types of products being transported, and compliance efforts for the region. Just because an airline is associated with a big brand does not guarantee a seamless transport of goods.

Conduct necessary research and review updated reports to learn and identify an airline’s strengths and areas of improvement. No two carriers are the same, and the options available depend on the amount of knowledge you have going in and what fits your long-term and short-term needs. Consider the partnerships involved with the airline of your choice and how these partnerships create competitive advantage. If you can’t identify what makes a carrier or airline significant, it might be time to reconsider market options.

Budapest Airport Awards Recognizes Record Volumes

More than 300 guests joined in celebrating record-breaking numbers and this year’s winners during the 12th annual awards ceremony in Budapest, Hungary. Both new and established partners participated for recognition in the following categories:
-Best Performing Long Time Full-Freighter Cargo Airline
-Best Performing Newcomer Full Freighter Cargo Airline
-Best Developing Full-Service Carrier
-Highest Capacity Increase Long-Haul 2018
-Best Performing Integrator
“Last year was the year of cargo at BUD for many reasons: record cargo volumes, increasing connectivity, and now that the construction of BUD Cargo City is in full swing, we are on track to establishing a cargo-friendly environment,” said René Droese, Director Business Unit Property and Cargo, Budapest Airport.
“This dynamic cargo development is driven by our excellent cargo partners and the gala is an opportunity where we can say thanks and express our appreciation for their endless efforts.
Winning companies included:
-CargoLux for  Best Performing Long Time Full-Freighter Cargo Airline
-AirBridgeCargo Airlines for Newcomer Full Freighter Cargo Airline 2018
-LOT Polish Airlines for Best Developing Full-service Carrier
-Qatar Airways : Highest Capacity Increase Long-haul title
“The awards represent BUD’s unique and well-balanced cargo customer portfolio, and the continued development of the three main market segments; full freighters, belly cargo, and integrators.”

Source: Meantime Communications 

Year-On-Year Air Cargo Growth Reported for Budapest Airport

Budapest Airport reported record-breaking cargo numbers exceeding its substantial 2017 record numbers and confirming consistent double-digit growth for the last three years, according to a release this week.

“These latest figures are exciting as they represent three years of uninterrupted double-digit growth at the airport,” said René Droese, Director Property and Cargo of Budapest Airport. “We are focusing all our efforts to make good use of the ideal conditions in Budapest and turn Liszt Ferenc International Airport into a major cargo logistics hub for the Central-Eastern European region.”

She added:

“For this, we are establishing appropriate technical, security, and traffic conditions – the relevant projects entered the phase of implementation last year, and we can successfully complete them this year. As a first step we handed over a 16,000 m2 new cargo warehouse and office capacity for our integrator partners in 2017; their traffic has been constantly developing for years.”

Budapest Airport will continue to leverage its cargo success through implementing simultaneous operations of two Boeing B-747-8F freighters.

“The combined value of this development effort in 2019 reaches EUR46 million, and is financed by Budapest Airport itself,” said Droese. “Our goal is to deliver, by the end of this year, an ideal cargo infrastructure for all segments of our well-balanced customer portfolio, for full freighters, belly cargo, integrators and roader feeder trucking too. Rising demand is illustrated by the fact that last year a number of wide body and jumbo freighters were being loaded at the airport each day, including Boeing B-747s operated by Cargolux, AirBridgeCargo, and Silk Way West, and Airbus A300s, A310s, A330s, used by Turkish Cargo and Qatar Airways Cargo.”

 

Source: Meantime Communications

Budapest Airport Strategy to Increase Trade with Asia

Increased direct freighter and belly cargo routes are just a couple of the initiatives of the soon-to-be implemented strategy for Budapest Airport, according to a release this week. The strategy serves as a tandem effort with the BUD20:20 expansion programme.

“China plays a major part in our BUD:2020 growth programme, and we are working together with some of the country’s largest logistics and transport companies to meet rising demand for imports from China,” said René Droese, Executive Director Property and Cargo, Budapest Airport.

“The new freighter routes launched this year complement our existing direct and indirect scheduled freighter and belly cargo connections with China operated by Air China, Cargolux, Emirates, Qatar Airways Cargo, and Turkish Cargo. The forwarder community in our region is seeking new ways to reach the Asia market; in addition to this we are witnessing an increasing demand from Chinese e-commerce companies for new, efficient distribution hubs in Eastern Europe, which amounts to a unique opportunity for us.”

Another part of the strategy directly involves the Hungarian hub and increasing e-commerce initiatives. The airport saw a 22.9 percent increase in the volume of flown and trucked freight from October 2017 – 2018. Air cargo volumes flown at the BUD increased by more than 60 percent from 2015-2018. These growth rates are anticipated to continue with the recently disclosed strategies.

“We are witnessing historic moments in China; it was precisely 40 years ago that the Chinese Central Government, led by Deng Xiaoping, introduced the policy of opening the economy to foreign direct investment,” said Szilárd Bolla, the Consul General of Hungary in Shanghai. “Now, the government of Xi Jinping would like to call the attention of global players to the dynamically growing Chinese internal market. The quality of current diplomatic relations between the two countries and this momentum create an excellent opportunity for Hungarian businesses to enter the market.”

Source: Meantime Communications