Budapest Airport has been named the overall winner at the World Routes Awards 2019, which recognizes excellence and innovation in air service and route development.

Over the last four years, the airport increased its passenger numbers by double digits: In 2018 alone, passenger numbers rose 14% to 14.9 million. Likewise, 34 new routes have been announced or launched out of the Hungarian hub so far, including the addition of non-stop service to Shanghai, China — a sign of rising interest in Budapest as a travel destination and increasing mobile travelers out of Hungary.

With the addition of seven new airlines and another 6% spike in passenger traffic in 2018, Singapore Changi Airport collected the award for best airport in the over-50-million-passenger category. Last year, total passenger traffic hit 65.6 million, marking a year-on-year rise of 5.5%.

Other winners include Tourism Ireland, which recorded its best tourism year in 2018, thanks to aggressive marketing campaigns that resulted in a 5% spike in visitor numbers, and 70 million euros (almost $77 million, about P4 billion) in economic activity, and Vueling, a Spanish low-cost carrier that has experienced 10 years of consecutive growth. RGA/NVG

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