Ash spewing to a high altitude from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland practically paralyzed aviation over Europe for several days. The forced airspace closure over Hungary lasted for about four days, causing damages running into billions of forints for the aviation sector and the Hungarian economy.

The ash cloud reached Hungarian airspace on 16 April. As of 7 p.m. on that day until 9:30 a.m. on 20 April, Hungarian airspace was partially or completely closed. However, airlines working to restore scheduled operations were only able to fully resume normal services by 23 April. During this period hundreds of employees at the airport, at airlines and travel agencies were working to minimize disruption and discomfort for stranded passengers.

Airlines canceled more than 1500 flights to and from Budapest during the airspace closure; thus, there were tens of thousands of passengers to take care of. Most passengers only remained at Ferihegy until the airlines rebooked them or refunded the price of their bookings.

Transport companies are unable to pay compensation during natural disasters, but even so they do have to provide for passengers’ journeys either by offering alternative travel times, alternative means of transport or refunding the price of tickets.

During the airspace closure Budapest Airport employees were working hard to take care of passengers. The airport was not closed to ensure that companies operating there are able to work day and night to bring people home. Budapest Airport’s website, which was stalling due to the increased demand, was switched to a reduced mode, thus enabling as many as 400 000 visitors per day to receive essential flight information in Hungarian and English language.

Budapest Airport would hereby like to express its gratitude to the Hungarian media, which facilitated the provision of information to Hungarian and foreign travelers through hundreds of communiqués, live reports and television appearances. Similarly, the airport operator would like to express its appreciation for the work of the Police, which safeguarded the security of all persons at the airport through increased patrolling.

The dozens of compliments and letters of appreciation received by Budapest Airport and the services operating at Ferihegy bear testimony to the success of cooperative efforts by airport organizations and authorities. Most of these compliments were sent from Great Britain, emphasizing that Hungarians, and especially the employees at the airport worked with a high degree of professionalism and also amiability to solve this unexpected situation. Many passengers commended the rapid commissioning of relief rail and coach services, which provided a quick and efficient solution for the transportation needs of stranded passengers."

Source: Budapest Airport