If approved by the General Assembly, the Hungarian state will acquire a 51% stake in Debrecen International Airport Kft., the company operating Debrecen Airport, and developments can start. According to the city administration, these developments can no longer be carried out from municipal or co-owner resources, and the involvement of the state is necessary. The state will be the majority owner of the company operating the airport, while the airport property will remain the property of the municipality.
Mayor of Debrecen László Papp writes in the submission to the General Assembly that the aim is for Debrecen International Airport to become the region’s central and busiest airport in the long term. By the region, they mean Eastern and Northern Hungary and the neighboring cross-border areas.
By the 2030s, they want to reach 2 to 3 million passengers per year. The government sees Debrecen International Airport as a strategic element, which is why it supported its development with HUF 1.2 billion under the Modern Cities Program, which was used to implement lighting for aircraft parking, the 7-kilometer fence surrounding the entire airport area with the necessary control road, and local runway improvements. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided EUR 800,000 to airlines operating scheduled flights from Debrecen International Airport to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, in line with EU state aid rules.
The mayor wrote that the government has received the approval of the European Union for the disbursement of security improvements granted by a previous government decision, for which the grant deed is being prepared. The HUF 2.4 billion will be used to design and build a new fire station, purchase two special airport fire trucks, design a new runway and purchase passenger safety equipment.
Medium-term development goals include the implementation of tens of billions of forints worth of improvements at Debrecen International Airport, including:
- a renovated runway
- new taxiways
- a new passenger terminal
- an instrument landing system and lighting
- a new service road network
- a base and storage for snowmobiles and ground support equipment, including a fuel depot
- new offices for administration, plus additional parking.
BORD Architectural Studio has already won the design competition for the development.
