More than 2 million passengers at Brussels Airport

Flown air cargo volumes approach 50,000 tonnes  

In May, Brussels Airport welcomed more than two million passengers, an increase of 22% compared with May 2022. Growth is explained by the staggering of the spring holidays in Belgium, the Dutch May holidays and several long weekends. Flown cargo volumes, meanwhile, are down 6% in May compared with the same period in 2022. 

Passenger numbers: +22% compared with May 2022 

In May, 2,071,182 passengers passed through Brussels Airport, an increase of 22% compared with May 2022. The staggered spring holidays had a positive impact on these results. The spring holidays in French-speaking schools resulted in a shift from April to May. The start of the holidays in the Netherlands, in the last week of April, as well as the extended Ascension and Whitsun weekends had a positive effect on passenger numbers. In addition, the bad weather in April led to last-minute bookings for the sun in May.  

The share of outbound transfer passengers was 14% in May, 38% higher than in 2022. Brussels Airport is and remains an important transfer hub from Europe and North America to Africa. 

The top ten most visited countries in May were Spain, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, France, the United States, Morocco and the United Kingdom. 

Flown air cargo volumes: down 6% 

In May, flown air cargo volumes at Brussels Airport fell by 6% to 49,502 tonnes. Overall freight volumes were down 10% on May 2022, totalling 58,839 tonnes. This decline was mainly due to a 27% drop in trucked cargo. 

The full freighter segment declined for the first time this year (-14%), while belly cargo on passenger flights remained stable (+0.2%), as did the express services segment (-0.5%).  

The main import regions are Asia (+6% compared with May 2022), Africa (-7%) and North America (-13%). In terms of exports, Asia (-3%) is still in the lead, followed by North America, (-0.2%), then Africa (-19%).   

Flight movements: +7% compared with May 2022 

The number of flight movements rose by 7% in May 2023 compared with 2022. The number of passenger flights rose by 10% compared with 2022, with an average of 143 passengers per flight, compared with 130 in May 2022. The number of cargo flights decreased by 8% compared to May 2022.