Budapest airport will go through a 50 billion HUF renovation project over the next five years under its BUD 2020 program, HVG has reported.
The main investment will be in the new passenger pier B, but developments will include construction of an airport hotel as well as other logistical and security changes.
The change to Budapest's Ferenc Liszt International Airport is necessary as passenger numbers have been rising dynamically over the past two or three years, with traffic growing 12.5 percent in January-May this year.
Construction of the new passenger pier will begin later this year and will take 18 months to complete.
The other pillar of the development project is the airport hotel, without which an airport cannot belong to the global elite, said the travel hub's owner, Budapest Airport.
Current forecasts put passenger numbers in 2020 at between 15 and 18 million, and the latter figure would require building a new terminal. In the meantime, more check-in counters will be placed in the existing terminal and the number of parking spaces will also be increased.
The BUD 2020 project also covers substantial security upgrades worth several billion HUF, Budapest Airport said, including state-of-the-art body scanners at all security gates to enhance both security and passenger comfort.
Changes to the road and rail connection between the airport and the city are also expected, but Budapest Airport said it has little influence over these potentially upcoming government projects.
However, next year's world swimming championships and Budapest's bid for the 2024 Olympics would definitely require better rail and road access to the airport for the large number of spectators due in the city.