Budapest Airport signs cargo relations agreement with China

Budapest Airport and Ningbo International Airport & Logistics Development Company sign agreement on creating a direct Budapest-Ningbo link and cargo connection.

René Droese, Property and Cargo Director, Budapest Airport, alongside Zheng Zhiyin, Director, Ningbo International Airport and Logistics Development Company, sign the strategic cooperation agreement formalising increasingly close relations and expected significant cargo development.

Budapest Airport and Ningbo International Airport in China have signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Shanghai to improve cargo relations between the two countries. The announcement follows a visit to Ningbo by Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr László Szabó, where talks were held with the Vice Governor of Zheijang Province and the Major of Ningbo city in June 2015. During the meeting Dr Szabó welcomed the possibility of launching a direct Budapest-Ningbo link and cargo connection, emphasising the significant contribution the route would have in strengthening economic and trade relations, and further development of associations between Hungary and China.

Located approximately 200km from Shanghai, Ningbo International Airport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the Yangtze River Delta region, handling 6.36million passengers, and approximately 113,000 tonnes of air cargo in 2014. The airport’s 3.2km long runway is suitable for all large cargo aircraft. The economic significance of the region is further enhanced by the fact that, in addition to the airport, it also has a busy seaport. The airport plans to increase passenger traffic to 12 million and cargo volume to 500,000 tonnes by 2020, with the most significant development expected in the cargo area.

The agreement was signed on 20 November 2015 by Property and Cargo Director at Budapest Airport, René Droese, along with Senior Cargo Manager, József Kossuth, and by Director, Zheng Zhiyin, Ningbo International Airport and Logistics Development Company.  

“It is in the interest of both Budapest Airport and Ningbo Airport to have a direct cargo flight between China and Hungary”

“The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement is of great significance, it is in the interest of both Budapest Airport and Ningbo Airport to have a direct cargo flight between China and Hungary in the near future,” said René Droese, Property and Cargo Executive Director, Budapest Airport, during the signing ceremony. “This agreement foresees even broader cooperation. Budapest would be an ideal Eastern European logistics and distribution hub for Chinese exporters with the 1,000km catchment area of our airport including no less than 19 countries,” he added.

Budapest total cargo volumes for October 2015 increased by 7.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Chinese cargo traffic is also growing dynamically, with the relaunch of the direct flight between Beijing and Budapest by Air China playing a key role. The flight commutes four times weekly between the two capitals, carrying 10-12 tonnes of cargo on each occasion in the cargo hold of the airliner. Almost the entire cargo capacity has been booked by Hungarian exporters transporting primarily electronics and pharmaceutical products to China, exceeding the volume of Chinese goods brought to Hungary by approximately a quarter.