Szeged International Airport
In July 2016, a pilot friend of mine went to Hungary to get his Scheibe Falke SF-25 motor glider license. As the nearest flight school that offers such services is in Szeged, I took the opportunity to visit Szeged International Airport. I was keen on going since I knew that at Szeged International Airport was a lot of flying with gliders, motor delta trikes, and ultra-light planes
I was surprised by what I found there. It’s different from the kind of big airport. Although it is not much larger than a regular airfield, the Szeged International Airport still has a considerable surface, most of the space being dedicated to flight activities, while the buildings and parking lot occupy a reasonably small area. It has two runways. One is a grassy runway, and the other one is paved. The paved runway has beacons for night flights. The asphalt runway has a length of 1185 meters and a width of 30 meters. Access to it is made on a taxiway, which is 621 meters in length. At the runway’s end is the aircraft parking platform made of graded green areas. It has a length of 109 meters and a width of 57 meters. The grass runway is slightly smaller, with a length of 1177 meters and a width of 50 meters.
Szeged International Airport Infrastructure
Regarding the infrastructure, the airport has four hangars in which small private planes and helicopters find shelter. It also provides fueling services, with AVGAS 100LL and JET-A1 kerosene for jet aircraft. In front of the fueling station is a concrete parking platform with a size of 123×83 meters. Fire protection and security services are ensured by two fire trucks offering an ICAO protection level 5 – Fire 5. The ICAO code of the Szeged airport is LHUD, and the radio frequency on which they communicate is 122,810 MHz. The airport administrative offices include customs services, an office for the Hungarian border police, and a control tower. Access to the airport is relatively easy, from the highway to Budapest and the city. All in all, the airport and especially the green spaces look impeccable.
Szeged International Airport Flight Activity
At Szeged International Airport are two pilot training schools. They offer flight training and licensing for airplanes, gliders, or helicopters. One cargo and agro-aviation company that uses Antonov An-2 planes and Kamov Ka-26 helicopters is also there. There is also a soaring club that owns a Zlin Z-326 towing plane and a glider towing spool. I also saw many private aircraft owners who were not affiliated with any club, flying airplanes, ULMs, or gliders.
Everyone I met was kind, and the atmosphere was very relaxed. No one was watching me awkwardly as I was taking pictures with a “big black” camera, as had happened to me on other occasions. Everything is ok as long as a minimum of safety and common sense rules are followed. And if you get thirsty after a scorching day, there is a small terrace where you can sit in the shade and cool off. The advantage is that the terrace directly views the two runways and the flight activity.
We spent several hours at the Szeged International Airport, where I saw a lot of flying with different types of Cessna aircraft, ultra-light airplanes (Diamond DA20 Katana), moto-delta-trikes, motor-gliders, and gliders. We did not have the opportunity to see passenger jets during our stay there, as no such flights were scheduled during that day.
As the evening approached, it was time for us to head back home. But our journey to Szeged International Airport was just the beginning. We had already set our sights on a return trip in September for the first edition of the Szeged International Airshow – SZIA. The excitement for this special aviation event was palpable, and we couldn’t wait to share our experience in a future article.