Acquisition of Budapest Airport may conclude within days, says PM Orban

The acquisition of Budapest Airport could conclude "within days", Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in parliament on Monday, signalling an end to months of negotiations with majority owner AviAlliance.

Since Orban took power in 2010, his government has boosted Hungarian ownership in energy, banking, telecoms and the media, and has been planning to buy the airport for years.

"We hope that within days, the airport... will be owned in majority by the state", he said. Hungary's government submitted its binding offer in September 2023.