Budapest International  LHBP

Date of Visit = July 2000

Pilot: = Geraint Pinches

e-mail = geraintpinches@genie.co.uk

Field Report = We flew to Budapest Intl by Warrior in July 2000.

ATC are very good and slot you in amongst the IFR traffic. Budapest Info will transfer you to Budapest Approach who will descend you under radar control. Sometimes, they will vector you to the threshold or allow you to proceed visually, depending upon how busy the airport is.

Budapest has parallel runways so expect to land on 31L/13R which is next to the GA terminal. Landing on the other runway will require about a 3km taxi to the GAT.

Make sure you have the latest charts for Budapest (such as in the Jeppesen trip kit) for reporting points and standard routeings. We came in from the north-east via reporting point NORAH and then the TPS beacon.

The handling agent will normally lead you in in a follow me car and then take you through customs, book you a taxi and a hotel and organise fuel. On departure, they even generate a flight plan for your next destination for you to check and approve. This handling service doesn't come cheap at $30 but is very efficient. In contrast, landing fee of £4.67 and £1.34 for two nights' parking is ridiculously cheap for an international airport, but don't tell them I told you that! Fuel is 57p/litre if you are going out of the country.

Budapest itself is lovely, with the Danube, the Parliament buildings and the Royal Palace. Again, eating out is cheap, especially for a capital city. Hotels, however, whilst not up to prices in London and Paris etc are not as cheap. The GA terminal have their own taxi driver to take you to town, but at £12 for a 15 minute ride, this seems a bit expensive and the bus might be a better idea, if you can be bothered.

Call Budapest Approach on 129.7o before entering controlled airspace.