Budapest Airport (BUD) has been crowned the Overall Winner at the Routes Europe 2024 Awards, as well as triumphing in the 5-20 Million Passengers category.
The Hungarian airport was one of five winners at the event, which celebrated not just excellence in airport and destination marketing but also the importance of partnership in sustainable route development. The other victors at the ceremony, held at Routes Europe 2024 in Aarhus, Denmark, were Turismo de Portugal, Athens International Airport, Albrecht Dürer Airport Nürnberg, and Jet2.com.
Following its success, Balázs Bogáts, CCO at Budapest Airport said: “This accolade is a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation. I want to express my deepest gratitude to our talented team, our airline partners and all those who contribute to our success.
“Together we have created a hub of connectivity, efficiency, and passenger satisfaction. We remain dedicated to pushing boundaries, exploring new horizons, and delivering impactful marketing solutions. Our journey continues, and we invite you all to be part of it. You are at the right place. We are at the right place.”
BUD’s airline marketing strategies are the cornerstone of its success, engaging millions of travellers across the world to deliver mutually beneficial results across their aviation partners. Using creative and innovative tactics, particularly across social media, has broadened the passenger demographic and proactively showcased the destination’s appeal.
BUD handled 14.7 million passengers in 2023, marking a return to 91% of pre-pandemic levels. Nonstop scheduled capacity expanded by over 30% to key global markets, including China, the Middle East, and North Africa.
In the Under 5 Million Passengers category, Albrecht Dürer Airport Nuremberg in Germany was named the winner. The airport experienced significant growth in 2023, with destinations climbing to 65 encompassing over 16 new routes and increased frequencies added to their schedule since 2019.
Christian Käser, vice president aviation sales and traffic development at Albrecht Dürer Airport Nuremberg, said: “We really appreciate being awarded this prize. It’s very satisfying to see that our transformation to thrive in a drastically different, dynamic market has been recognized by our customers and airlines.”
In the Over 20 Million Passengers category, Athens International Airport triumphed. Athens achieved a new record year in 2023, recording over 28 million passengers alongside 39 new destinations, 19 new airlines and 68 additional services on existing routes. Growth has been driven predominantly by Western Europe and the North American markets.
Ioanna Papadopoulou, director communications and marketing at Athens International Airport, said: “We are thrilled by this prestigious award which is the reward for our hard work and all our efforts to enhance our airport’s and our city’s connectivity! Dedicated to all our colleagues at Athens International Airport who work 24/7 with dedication and passion for our airlines, our passengers, and our country!”
In the Destination category, Turismo de Portugal came out on top. Crediting strong collaboration with its airport and airline partners, the tourism authority conducts tailored, multichannel marketing campaigns to ensure profitability of new routes. Such efforts have supported the introduction of 30 new destinations in the 2024 summer schedule across their airport networks and broken passenger level records in 2023.
Miguel Moraes, head of trade relations at Turismo de Portugal, said: “It recognises the effort we have been developing in the last decade, working closely with our partner airlines to deliver sustainable routes to our destinations.
“Especially throughout the difficult period that we endured together, when cooperation was the key element to the recovery, we are now enjoying the benefits of that work. A word of appreciation to those who voted for us, with the reassurance that we will always be here to cooperate with the industry, so critical to our tourism sector.”
Finally, Jet2.com won the Airline category. The UK’s third largest airline increased their seat capacity by more than 7% during its summer 2023 schedule, compared to the previous year. Driven by new routes, fleet growth, and the launch of its 11th UK airport base, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, offers passengers unrivalled choice and flexibility.
Launching almost 40 new routes across their UK airports during the summer 2024 schedule, Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award which recognises Jet2.com’s strength and success, as well as our industry-leading approach to supporting and working with airport and destination partners.
“The Routes Awards are truly global, so this accolade is outstanding evidence of the success of our business, our relentless focus on customer service, and our continued commitment to building long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships with airports and destinations.”
Finalists from the Airport and Destination categories were reviewed and scored by a panel of airline judges, while the Airline category was reviewed and scored by a panel of editorial judges.