Aer Lingus is officially ‘The Fastest Airline in the World’ having won the air transport industry’s 10km charity race held on Budapest Airport’s Runway I on Saturday 1 September. Airbus Sales Director, Nikolaus von Carlowitz (holding trophy), who also took part in the race, presented the prize as the headline sponsor of the leading aviation charity event of the year.
Athens Airport won ’Fastest Airport in the World’ beating several other spirited hopefuls from across Europe.
Aer Lingus claimed a hat-trick and won the title of ‘Fastest Airline in the World’ for the third time on Saturday at this year’s Budapest Airport-anna.aero Runway Run. Joining some of the best runners in the aviation community, airlines and airports, as well as authorities and business service partners, the Irish airline took part in the sixth charity race which is organised by Budapest Airport. Consisting of 5km and 10km race distances, as well as 1.5km for children, runners raced down Runway 1 (13R/31L) of the Hungarian gateway as the airport closed the normally very busy Tarmac for the duration of the event.
In a record event, more than 1,100 runners lined up at the start of the unique aviation charity race, including serious competitive entries fielded by Emirates, LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Swiss International Airlines, Vueling and Wizz Air. Athens Airport won ’Fastest Airport in the World’ beating several other spirited hopefuls from across Europe, while numerous aviation-related enterprises from ground handlers, security, duty free concessionaires, hotels and banks also took part. The final team winners were: Hungarocontrol – Fastest Airline Operator; British Embassy of Hungary – Fastest Embassy; Marriott Hotel – Fastest Tourist Company; and Viacom (Nickelodeon) – Fastest Airport Partner.
For the first time, two airport employees took to the winners podium at the awards ceremony – Nikolett Huszák, Airline and Property Marketing Manager and Balázs Csuka, Strategic Buyer, having placed in the 5km race, while Cecília Szőke, KPMG Hungary and Gábor Vas, from a local sports equipment company, were awarded the winning trophies for the 10km run.
With all entry fees donated to the Hungarian SUHANJ! and Anthony Nolan, which supports bone marrow transplants for children, the competition also draws kind and generous headline sponsorship from Airbus, Qatar Airways, Mercedes Benz Hungary and KPMG International Auditing Company, as well as other important partners too.
“It is a great honor that Budapest Airport can be the host of this aviation and sport event which is unique on the continent, and we are proud to see big teams of major airports such as Athens, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg participating,” says Jost Lammers, CEO, Budapest Airport. Close to 50,000 euros has been raised over the past three years of the airport’s patronage with Hungarian SUHANJ! Foundation, which supports the inclusiveness of people with reduced mobility in sports: “In addition to supporting an active life style and humanitarian goals, the run at our airport also serves as an excellent backdrop for an informal meeting of a multitude of aviation experts from different segments of the industry,” stated Lammers.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
