Seventy-five years ago, on May 7, 1950, Ferihegy, Hungary's air gateway and Budapest's still-functioning international airport, was opened to air traffic, where huge developments and changes have occurred over the past seven and a half decades.

Although it is now evident that the largest airport in our country is located in Ferihegy, this was not always the case. The first international airport was in Mátyásföld. Although civil aviation had also taken place in Ferihegy earlier, a design competition was announced to construct the airport in September 1939. The works were preceded by serious research and meteorological measurements, during which wind conditions and fog formation were examined, and it was also an advantage that the soil is gravel and the groundwater is deep, so it is difficult for the area to become wet. The airport, which was under construction, suffered significant damage in World War II, and in 1947, it was decided to rebuild it, which was completed by 1950.

The old Terminal 1 building, designed before World War II, is now a monument. Károly Dávid Jr., a renowned architect of the era, created it. He was responsible for the plans for Terminal 1, which is shaped like an airplane from above. The airport outgrew the building by the end of the 1970s and has not received passengers for years. Terminal 2 was completed by 1985, and at the beginning of this year, it was announced that preparations for Terminal 3 had also begun.

Ferihegy Airport's history has been intertwined for decades with Malév, the Hungarian airline that operated from 1946 to 2012 and had its base here. In the years following World War II, domestic flights were first launched, which were also popular because a ministerial decree stipulated that prices could not be higher than a first-class train ticket. Malév also launched the first international flight from Ferihegy in June 1956 to Vienna. At its peak, the company was represented in some 33 countries and had more than 3 million passengers annually.

After a few years, the first direct flights to North America and the Middle East from Budapest were announced in 2015. Together with the continuously expanding number of low-cost airlines, Budapest Airport recovered from the 2012 crisis and embarked on an unprecedented development, showing outstanding values ​​in the region.

Last year, the Hungarian State bought back the operating rights of the airport and the operator Budapest Airport Zrt. from mostly Canadian financial investors in July 2024 after lengthy negotiations. The state is present in the company as an economic and strategic investor, entrusting the operation to the French company VINCI Airports, which has extensive professional experience.

The most important thing regarding the airport's future is the construction of the new Terminal 3, the foundation stone of which, according to the Minister of National Economy, can be laid this year. The preparatory work for the project is already underway, and according to previous statements, the new terminal can be completed by 2032.