Nearly 2.5 million passengers at Brussels Airport in July - Almost 61,000 tonnes of freight transported

In July, Brussels Airport welcomed 2.5 million passengers, a growth of 5% compared to the same month in 2023. That is effectively the highest number of passengers per month since 2019. The main reason for that high number was the start of the summer holidays. On average, there were 152 passengers per flight last month, which is an all-time record. Cargo volumes rose 6% to a total of 61,000 tonnes. 

Passenger numbers: up 5% compared to July 2023 

This July, 2,450,771 passengers travelled through Brussels Airport, up 5% from July 2023. That is the highest number of passengers at the airport since 2019. The main driver for the numbers was the start of the summer holidays. It was also the reason why there were more departures than arrivals in July.    

Transfer passengers made up 10% of the share.  Due to a decrease in intra-European transfers and the usual high number of Belgian holiday travellers in summer, this share is lower than last year.   

The ten most-visited countries in July were Spain, Türkiye, Greece, Italy, Germany, Morocco, the United States, Portugal, France and the United Kingdom. 

Air freight volumes: up 6% compared to July 2023 

The volume of cargo flown at Brussels Airport increased by 6% in July compared to July of 2023, for a total of 51,000 tonnes. Overall cargo volumes also increased by 6% to approximately 61,000 tonnes.   

The full-cargo segment has fallen by 3%, while belly cargo has significantly increased, by 36%. Express services fell slightly, by 2%, but was countered by trucked volumes, which were up by approximately 9%.  

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

Flight movements: an increase of 3% 

There were 19,212 flight movements in July, a rise of 3% compared to the same month last year. The number of passenger flights also increased by 3% compared to July 2023. There were, on average, 152 passengers travelling per flight that month, an increase of two passengers per flight compared to the same period in 2023. That is an all-time record number of passengers per flight. The number of cargo flights also recorded an increase of 3%, mainly due to an increase within the full-cargo segment (+19%).