Over 1.4 million passengers passed through Brussels Airport in January

46,000 tonnes of air cargo transported 

In January, Brussels Airport welcomed over 1.4 million passengers, a 6% increase on January 2023. Passenger numbers were influenced by the second week of the Christmas holidays, which saw more arriving than departing passengers. Flown cargo volumes also grew by 6% totalling 46,000 tonnes. 

Passengers: +6% compared to January 2023 

In January, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,403,192 passengers, an increase of 6% compared to January 2023. The end of the Christmas holidays at the beginning of the month meant that more passengers arrived than departed. The suspension of flights to Tel Aviv last October continues to have a negative impact on passenger numbers. There was also a negative impact from the short strike at Brussels Airlines and above all from the winter conditions at German airports in January, which led to temporary closures.  

The share of departing transfer passengers was 17%, a slight fall due to the decrease in the number of transfer passengers within Europe compared to the increase in the number of intercontinental passengers, which is more in line with Brussels Airport's objectives as a hub. 

The top 10 destination countries in January were respectively Spain, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Switzerland, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. 

Flown cargo volumes: up 6% compared with January 2023 

In January, overall freight volumes at Brussels Airport rose by 3% compared to January 2023, reaching 55,051 tonnes.  

Flown cargo volumes grew by 6%, totalling 46,376 tonnes.  

The full freighter segment saw a robust upturn of 15%, while belly cargo on passenger aircraft rose by 19%, thanks to the increase in passenger flights. Express services fell by 9% and trucked cargo volumes by 9%.  

The main import regions are Asia (which recorded a sizeable increase of 112% compared to January 2023), Africa (-0.5%) and North America (-16%). The main export region is also Asia (-6%), followed by North America (-21%) and Africa (-11%). 

Flight movements: 3% increase compared to January 2023 

In January, the number of flight movements increased by 3% to 13,508. The number of passenger flights increased by 5% compared to 2023. There were on average 128 passengers per flight in January 2024, one more than in 2023. The number of cargo flights decreased by 6% largely due to the drop in the number of express cargo flights.