Airports play a dominant role in today's longdistance transport and they also represent significant nodes of the modern globalised economy. By estimating direct and indirect impacts on employment and income, their importance can be characterized in quantifiable terms. This study aims to estimate the direct economic impacts of Budapest Liszt Ferenc Airport as a complex economic entity involving a number of companies that are legally separate but complementary to one another and operate in the Airport's area - after outlining the general issues related to the impact assessment of airports. The study addressed two years, 2009 and 2014, which made it possible to compare the circumstances before and after the termination of Malév.