Mahart Container Center has opened a 30,000 square meter depot capable of storing up to 2,800 TEU containers in the heavy-duty area leased from Budapest Airport, bringing the airport one step closer to its role as an intermodal hub.

In September, the operator of one of Hungary’s leading container terminals, Mahart Container Center (MCC), took possession of the approximately 30,000 square meters of operational area that Budapest Airport developed with the support of the European Union near the airport siding.

The leased area is primarily used by MCC for the storage of empty containers, as an addition to its existing terminal in Csepel.

The partnership is an important step towards intermodality for Budapest Airport: MCC transports the containers primarily by road to the requested location.

“Air freight transport has an extremely significant potential at Budapest Airport, and we have even more opportunities if we look beyond the world of air transport,” emphasized René Droese, Budapest Airport’s development director. As he added, there is intense competition between the countries of the region for developments and investments based on intermodal freight transport. “Here in Budapest, we have an excellent logistics environment and infrastructure, which is why we are pleased that our tenants can welcome the Mahart Container Center as one of the first airport representatives of intermodality,” he emphasized.

“Renting the container depot in the Budapest Airport area fits perfectly into the business policy of MAHART Container Center. The area has excellent features, is easily accessible, and is suitable for storing large quantities of containers, helping to relieve the load on our Csepel terminal, ensuring efficient operation. By putting the new depot into use, we can serve new business partners, which gives us a chance to further develop environmentally friendly intermodal transport,” said Zoltán Fábián, managing director.

The final destination of air freight arriving at Budapest airport is not Hungary, the goods handled here are also supplied in many cases to other Central and Eastern European countries. The transport of goods plays an extremely important role in the economy and trade, thereby supplying Hungarian society. Since its handover, BUD Cargo City has been steadily moving towards functioning as the leading air gateway in Central and Eastern Europe, and the introduction of intermodal modes of transport can further strengthen the regional cargo handling center.

The development of the container terminal area is part of the large-scale infrastructural development project for which the European Union’s European Network Financing Facility (CEF) provided a total of 14,841,000 euros in non-refundable support in 2018.