More than 1.7 million passengers at Brussels Airport in March

More than 68,000 tonnes of freight transported 

In March, Brussels Airport welcomed over 1.7 million passengers, down 0.5% from the same period last year. The nationwide industrial action, held on 31 March, had a significant negative impact on passenger numbers. The total amount of transported cargo increased by 5.7% to reach over 68,000 tonnes. 

Passenger numbers: -0.5% compared to March 2024 

In March 2025, 1,734,174 passengers travelled via Brussels Airport, down 0.5% compared to March last year. This downward trend can be explained by the national industrial action on March 31, a day on which no departing passenger flights could be operated and only around a third of arriving passenger flights could be operated. 

Given that the mid-term holidays in Dutch-speaking schools ended in the first week of March, there were more arriving passengers than departing ones. The fact that only departing flights were operated on March 31 also reinforced this trend. Transfer passengers made up about 15% of departing passengers, primarily on routes to and from Africa and North America. 

The top 10 countries were Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, France, the United States, Türkiye, Morocco and the United Kingdom, respectively. 

Flown cargo volumes: +7.1% compared to March 2024 

Total cargo volumes through Brussels Airport in March 2025 increased by 5.7% compared to the same period last year, reaching 68,427 tonnes. Flown cargo volumes grew by 7.1% to a total of 58,105 tonnes. 

There was a 4.7% decline in the full-freight segment. Belly cargo increased by 8.1%. Integrator services were up 18.2% compared to March 2024, while trucked volumes were down 1.7%. 

The primary import regions were Asia, Africa and North America. The major export regions are again Asia, followed by Africa and North America. 

Flight movements: +4.8% compared to March 2024 

The number of flight movements in March rose by 4.8% compared to last year. The number of passenger flights saw a 2.9% increase. The number of freight flights rose by 8.1% compared with March 2024.