Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó said that the Hungarian state will acquire 12 per cent ownership in Győr-Pér International Airport by purchasing the shares of the municipality of Pér.
The Airport will undergo extensive refurbishment and expansion, including building a 100m safety zone on either side of the 30 metre wide, 1450m long runway and increasing its length to 2030m. The taxiways will also be widened from the current width of 10.5m to a more comfortable 15 metres, a new landing system will be built, the Airport's runway maintenance and service capacity will also be expanded, and the Airport will also receive a new hangar and foyer.
The estimated cost of construction is 4.17 million euros, and that of the landing system 1.4 million euros. The cost of the service facilities is expected to be 580 thousand euros, while the purchasing of the equipment required will incur an additional 500 thousand euros. Following the completion of the project, Boeing 737s and Airbus 320 category aircraft will be able to use the Airport, which may also become a destination for low-cost airlines following further development.
CEO of Audi Hungaria Motor Ltd. Thomas Faustmann said that the project is worth EUR 6.6 million, out of which 4.9 million will be paid by Audi’s Hungarian unit.
The car manufacturer has been a strategic partner of the Airport for more than a decade. Audi runs 20 flights-a-week to and from the Airport, the majority of whose passengers are also Audi employees. Passenger traffic generated by Audi doubled in 2011 and increased by 75% in 2012.
Mayor of Győr Zsolt Borkai noted that they expect the investment to “open the world” for the inhabitants of Győr as a second phase of development is also planned which will aim at increasing the Airport's passenger capacity.
Regional airports will "be given a role" in transport development programmes, the State Secretary said in reply to a question for Hungarian news agency MTI regarding whether these airports will receive EU funding in the upcoming European Union financial period.
(Prime Minister’s Office)
