ACI EUROPE’s, Manager Economics, Donagh Cagney, rocketed along Budapest Airport’s Runway 13R-31L last Saturday (6 September) to take an astonishing third place in the bud:runway run – the air transport industry’s annual charity race, held in aid of a pool of child cancer charities and other good causes.
Cagney’s time of 44m 18s for the 12km course – four lengths of the 3km Budapest runway – was equivalent to a sub-36 minute 10km result. The field of 609 runners was drawn from airlines, airports, and aviation enterprises from all over the world.
ACI EUROPE’s Manager Economics Donagh Cagney receives his third place prize in the bud:runway run from Wizz Air CEO, József Váradi.
In the event Cagney was beaten by fellow Irishman Robert Murphy, a Fleet Cost Manager with Aer Lingus. The Irish national carrier also went on to take the team prize for ‘The Fastest Airline In the World’.
The bud:runway run was organised by Budapest Airport, Nike, anna.aero and Wizz Air, in aid of a pool of child cancer charities, and other good causes.
Poland’s Krakow Airport won ‘Fastest Airport in the World’ beating several other spirited hopefuls from across Europe, including a major challenge from Aéroports de Paris. 45 other aviation-related enterprises, ranging from manufacturers, banks, airport restaurants, ground handlers, and customs and border authorities, also took part, with the global duty free shop operator Heinemann triumphing with a home win from its local subsidiary Hungarian Duty Free, which operates the duty free shop concession at Budapest Airport.
Although runway runs are popular community events in the USA they are extremely hard to stage in Europe, where runway capacity is seriously constrained at major airports. Therefore, in an exceptionally rare move, Budapest Airport closed a normally extremely active runway for just a few hours in order to stage bud:runway run. The race was organised in association with the global sports leader Nike, platinum sponsor Wizz Air, which has its home base at Budapest, and the specialist airline news service anna.aero. All finishers in bud:runway run were awarded the ‘Bron’s Medal’ in memory of the anna.aero publisher’s 12-year-old daughter, Brontë ‘Bron’ Hogan, who passed away in 2011 after a five-year battle with leukaemia. The bone marrow transplant charity Anthony Nolan, which arranged two bone marrow swaps for Brontë, was one of the benefiting institutions.
Jost Lammers, Budapest Airport CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to have had so many of our partners from the international airline and travel and tourism communities coming to experience both this fantastic city and our superb modern airport facilities. With competitors paying between €50-75 to take part – all of which goes to the benefiting charities – bud:runway run really has been a win-win-win for Budapest Airport, the partners, and the good causes.”
Third-placed Cagney was joined on Team ACI EUROPE by Yulia Plyusnina, Programme Development Coordinator, and Danielle Michel, Director Membership Services & Events.
On the fast track: Budapest Airport installs security Fast Track voucher vending machines
The aviation industry’s runway runners aren’t the only ones moving quickly at Budapest Airport. To reduce queues and enable passengers to pass through security quickly and efficiently, the airport has expanded its Fast Track Lane service, making the facility more widely available to all passengers. The installation of voucher vending machines directly at the entrance to the security areas in Terminals 2A and 2B has made the service easily accessible for all passengers passing through the Hungarian Capital city airport.
Passengers now have the readily available option to purchase a €5 Fast Track Lane voucher, allowing them to queue jump and rapidly pass through the security checkpoints. Initially only available to first and business class passengers, the service was made available to all travellers at Budapest Airport two years ago giving everyone the opportunity to bypass the queues.
