Spring has arrived and we are leaving behind Ferihegy’s darkest winter. Although I could write about weather-related problems or minor aviation incidents, there is something far worse for the storyteller to write about. What has previously figured only in our worst nightmares has become reality on 3 February. I have written about this before and there are scores of other articles on the subject, and not for nothing either. That a national icon like Malev Hungarian Airlines should just disappear from the scene practically overnight was not something anyone working in and for aviation would have ever believed possible.
This is how the morning peak hour looks like since that fateful day…
And this is the noon rush hour.
And the afternoon one.
Finally, this is how the controller required to handle all that traffic looks like.
Believe me, the situation is very discouraging and it is not being made any easier by actions we ourselves add to it all. No matter that Malev passengers are being taken over by other airlines and that things would improve by the end of the Summer, Budapest Airport has already started to act. Layoffs, closures, remodeling… Seemingly they do not realize that these activities project not trust in the future but rot through and through. All this when possibly only a little patience would be needed, a little belt tightening but not only on the part of the people of course. This would beam optimism, convey the message that we are still here and alive so that people abroad would see us again and perhaps plan flights to Budapest with more confidence. Instead of this, we watch our friends at the airport struggle in total uncertainty, not knowing which of them will be laid off in the near future. For the same reason our last pub-gathering was more like an act of mourning than anything else. I only hope we can still come together a few more times…
One of the airlines in this new era of high traffic did introduce itself in short order. Benefiting from our miserable situation, they practically invaded Terminal 2. They taxi up to, but not quite to, the airbridges and the passengers disembark via stairs and then walk into the terminal. Within 30 minutes the departing passengers appear, walk to the aircraft and then climb the stairs after a slight delay. Cheapie ticket, cheapie service. It is only icing on the cake that as a result of the cheapie tickets, the passengers also tend to be from the cheaper category… As rumors have it, they pass through security, then attack the stores in our beloved Skycourt and then leave without paying but with pockets full since there is no control any more. Nice, isn’t it? And in the eyes of the security folks I am still the most dangerous person.
There are worrying signs also from an aerodrome control perspective. It is an old truth that low traffic is always more prone to mistakes than a busy period. When it is busy, there are no discussions, everyone carries out his or her duties and everything goes smoothly. When traffic is low, attention tends to wander and after a long period of inactivity even just two aircraft may end up in a conflict. We are now in this exact situation. If I look out the window, I could cry. So I do not look out if possible. Looking at the display does not help, it shows the same nothingness so, like most others, I turn towards the inside of the tower or just sit there, my mind blank. Mind you, I do not get bored even in situations like this, as opposed to some other colleagues who tend to show spectacular signs of boredom in such low-traffic situations. Then they start to chat with each other, make fun or, in the worst case, talk about politics. They then go deeper and deeper into the discussion and when an aircraft calls, they have trouble figuring out which radio is the guy on. If for nothing else, I am hoping to have more traffic soon so that at least this problem goes away.
Finally a bit of good news in the wilderness. A floor below us one of the locales was turned into an Internet island. During the rest periods everyone can now surf the net to their hearts’ content. I too use this facility to check my mail or play some silly game. At least it helps to switch off our thoughts.
Hope, and the sun, are the last to die…
