Turkish Cargo, Turkish airline's freight division, will operate a scheduled weekly A310 freighter service between Istanbul and Budapest, with a cargo capacity of around 40 tonnes in each direction. The freighter service will complement the belly-hold cargo capacity of Turkish Airlines' passenger flights between the two cities, which has just increased from a daily service to 10 flights per week.
The freighter aircraft is scheduled to depart Istanbul at 02:40 UTC on Saturdays, arriving in Budapest at 04:45. The return flight departs from Budapest at 06:15 UTC, arriving in Istanbul at 08:10.
Christa Soltau, Vice President of Cargo and Logistics at Budapest Airport, welcomed the new freighter operation, and said the freighter service would provide an important additional link between the two emerging economic centres that would help enhance the development and logistics infrastructure of the two cities and their respective surrounding regions.
'Our airport is playing an increasingly important role as a cargo hub for the central eastern European market and beyond, and the addition of this new scheduled freighter service marks another significant step in the airport's expansion plan,' commented Soltau.
"We're putting our foot in the doorstep of the Hungarian Cargo market with the introduction of the new non-stop wide-body cargo service between Istanbul and Budapest. We consider this only as a test. Should the business develop the way we project, we're ready to increase our frequency the same way we're constantly increasing our passenger network. July is a milestone in our presence in Hungary. Should the bilateral air service agreement allow us, we would be pleased to increase our presence in the Hungarian market even more. We're enjoying the constant support of the IATA passenger and cargo sales agencies, and our efforts show results. We were recently named the best airline in Europe and I promise we will not disappoint our passengers and business associates," says Mr. Levend Arisoy, General Manager Hungary of Turkish Cargo.
Budapest Airport has seen strong recent growth in its cargo volumes, as more and more airlines and logistics companies recognize the value of its position as a hub for central, eastern and south-eastern Europe. In the first four months of this year, cargo tonnage increased by 30%, and the number of freighter flights grew by 7%.
The addition of Turkish Cargo takes the number of cargo airlines now serving the Hungarian airport on a scheduled and ad-hoc basis to 55, including 13 regular scheduled freighter operators.
To encourage and accommodate expected future growth, Budapest Airport is finalizing plans to significantly enhance its cargo and logistics facilities and infrastructure.
Central to the plan is the opening of the airport's new Cargo City development. The state-of-the-art facilities, for which construction will start later this year adjacent to the airport's passenger Terminal 2, is expected to be finalized by the end of 2012. The facilities will host handling agents and freight forwarders, and is especially designed to meet their customers' specific needs.
