More than 2.1 million passengers at Brussels Airport in May Nearly 60,000 tons of cargo shipped

 In May, more than 2.1 million passengers passed through Brussels Airport, an increase of 1.5% compared with May 2023. Total cargo volume rose by 0.4% to almost 60,000 tons.

Passengers: +1.5% compared with May 2023 

In May, Brussels Airport welcomed 2,102,553 passengers, 1.5% more than in May 2023. The launch of several new routes had a positive impact on passenger numbers. Nouvelair now operates from Brussels Airport to Monastir (Tunisia), Air Arabia to Rabat (Morocco) and Corendon Airlines to Gazipasa/Alanya (Türkiye). 

Transfer passengers made up 14% of the departing passengers. The number of transfer passengers is lower than in May 2023 due to a decrease in the number of intra-European transfer passengers. The important segment of intercontinental transfer passengers continues to grow and supports the further development of Brussels Airport's intercontinental network. 

The top 10 countries in May were Spain, Italy, Germany, Türkiye, Greece, Portugal, Morocco, the United States, France, Switzerland. 

Cargo volumes: up 0.4% on May 2023 

Total cargo volumes through Brussels Airport increased by 0.4% in May compared to May 2023 totaling 59,102 tons. Flown cargo volumes were up by 1.4% totaling 50,202 tons. 

The full freighter segment experienced a 6.4% decline, while belly cargo recorded an increase of almost 16%. Express services were up nearly 1%, while trucked volumes were down 5%. 

The main import regions are Asia, with a strong increase compared to May 2023, due to an increase in e-commerce, Africa and North America. The main export region is again Africa, followed by Asia and North America. 

Aircraft movements: 0.1% decrease compared with May 2023 

17,575 aircraft movements were recorded in May, down 0.1% on May 2023. The number of passenger flights was almost 2% up on 2023. There were an average of 143 passengers per flight in May 2024. That's the same number as last year.  

The number of cargo flights fell by 2% from 2023, mainly due to the decrease in flights in the express segment.