The 440m2 facility has 123 parking spaces and will completely take over the traffic previously handled by gates D and J by December. An average of 3,000-3,500 people enter the airport daily via the gate, including the goods vehicles of freight forwarders.

The Main Gate is accessible from different directions including the double roundabout near Market Central in Vecsés, or from the turbo roundabout in front of Terminal 2. There is a shared pedestrian and bicycle road between the double roundabout in Vecsés, Terminal 2 and the Main Gate, and the new gate to the operational area can also be reached on foot from the nearby bus stop on main road number 4.

Seamless access is ensured by a total of four traffic lanes, of which two are inbound, one is a variable direction lane and one serves outbound traffic. Three lanes can thus be easily adjusted to the prevailing traffic conditions, while the fourth one is reserved for oversized vehicles, and can easily accommodate trucks carrying larger loads. Parking lots have been built near the gate, within the area of the airport but outside the security fence, providing 123 spaces for colleagues, tenants and goods vehicles.

Budapest Airport also focused on its net zero ambitions during the design of the new Main Gate; the building is surrounded by a 3,000m2 green area, has high energy efficiency standards, and solar panels installed on the roof help provide one-third of the building’s electricity needs.

Chris Dinsdale, CEO of Budapest Airport, said, “As we continue to develop the airport, not only are our passengers important to us, but so are our own employees and those of our partner companies. We pay as much attention to the services we provide to them as we do to the enhancement of passenger service standards, which is why we have implemented a number of developments that are fundamentally aimed at improving the convenience, productivity and safety of those working at the airport, as part of a two-year development wave that has already exceeded HUF70bn (US$212m). We are delighted that the new Main Gate will make everyday life easier for our tenants, partners and employees in terms of access, work and goods delivery, while also supporting our sustainability objectives.”

The new Main Gate is co-financed by the European Union, as part of a development package totaling HUF6.2bn (US$19m), 85% of which is provided by the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). Over the last five years, the funding has been used to complete, among other things, the construction of the turbo roundabout in front of Terminal 2, the road section connecting to the double roundabout in Vecsés, the addition of bicycle lanes, the replacement of the security fence alongside main road number four bordering the airport, the refurbishment and expansion of the industrial rail track from gate C, the construction of a rail cargo yard and the modernization of the airport’s fire water powerhouse. Budapest Airport also constructed a new internal road, replaced the floodlighting with LED lights and 10 electric chargers are being commissioned at the Main Gate and along the new road.