Over 1.5 million passengers passed through Brussels Airport in February

49,000 tonnes of air cargo transported 

In February, Brussels Airport welcomed over 1.5 passengers, i.e. a 14% rise up from February 2023. Passenger numbers were positively impacted by the Carnival holidays, which spread over three non-consecutive weeks, as well as by the fact that the leap year meant that February had one extra day than in 2023. At the same time, air cargo volumes also saw an increase of 4% to 49,000 tonnes.  

Passengers: +14% compared to February 2023 

In February, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,553,477 passengers, an increase of 14% compared to February 2023. The start of the French Carnival holidays at the end of the month meant that more passengers departed than arrived. The suspension of flights to Tel Aviv last October continues to have a negative impact on passenger numbers. Negative impact of the strike at Brussels Airlines and at Lufthansa.  

The proportion of departing transfer passengers was 15%, a slight increase due to the reduction in the number of transfer passengers in Europe compared with the increase in the number of intercontinental passengers.  

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

Air freight volumes: up more than 4% compared with February 2023 

In February, overall freight volumes at Brussels Airport rose by 3% compared to February 2023, reaching 59,019 tonnes.  

Air freight volumes also enjoyed a 4% hike, totalling 48,912 tonnes.  

The full freighter segment saw an upturn of 11%, while freight transport on passenger aircraft rose by 21%, thanks to the increase in passenger flights. Express services fell by 9% and trucked cargo volumes by 4%.  

The main import regions are Asia (which recorded a sizeable increase of 101% compared to February 2023), Africa (+17%) and North America (-10%). The main export region is also Asia (-31%), followed by North America (-20%) and Africa (-3%). 

Flight movements: 10% increase compared to February 2023 

In February, the number of flight movements increased by 10% compared to February 2023, to 13,888. The number of passenger flights increased by 12% compared to 2023. There were on average 138 passengers per flight in February 2024, two more than in 2023. The number of cargo flights decreased by 2%, largely due to the drop in the number of express service flights.