Nearly 1.5 million passengers at Brussels Airport in November

64,000 tons of cargo handled 

In November, Brussels Airport welcomed nearly 1.5 million passengers, or 74% of the 2019 traffic. After four months above 80%, the month of November traditionally has fewer holidaymakers. The trade union actions of 9 November also had an impact on passenger numbers. Over 64,000 tonnes of cargo were processed in Brussels Airport’s logistics area, a 7% drop compared to last year’s volumes. 

Passenger Traffic: 74% of the number of passengers in 2019 

1,468,594 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in November, representing 74% of the number of passengers recorded in November 2019. After four consecutive months with more than 80% of the 2019 pre-Covid passenger numbers, November traditionally has fewer holidaymakers, which explains this lower rate. The national demonstration on 9 November also had a negative impact of about 30,000 passengers, without which Brussels Airport would have exceeded the 1.5 million passenger mark in November. 

The end of the autumn holidays also means more arrivals than departures during this month. 

The top 10 destination countries in November were Spain, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, the United States, Switzerland, Portugal and Morocco. Turkey and Morocco surpassed the November 2019 results. 

The share of departing transfer passengers was 18%, 6 percentage points lower than in 2019. 

Cargo: Volume decrease of 7% compared to 2021 

In November, cargo transport at Brussels Airport fell by 7% compared to the same period in 2021 and increased by 13% compared to 2019. Air cargo volumes decreased by 9% compared to last year to 52,104 tonnes, mainly due to a particularly prosperous 2021 for the Brussels Airport cargo area. In the full cargo segment, we are also seeing a decline of 24%. Belly cargo on the other hand increased by 4%, due to the increase in the number of passenger flights. Finally, the express segment grew by 3%. In general, cargo volumes are under pressure due to persistent geopolitical tensions, lockdowns in China, the threat of a recession and its impact on e-commerce. 

Trucked air cargo volumes decreased very slightly (-1%). 

Asia remains the largest import and export region, although volumes are slightly lower than last year due to the temporary effects of Chinese lockdowns. Africa is the second largest region in terms of imports, followed by North America. On the export side, North America ranks second ahead of Africa. 

Flights 

The total number of flight movements increased by 9% compared to November 2021, to 13,989 flight movements, a figure that remains 23% lower than in November 2019, before the crisis. The number of passenger flights this month represents 71% of the number of flights in the same month in 2019. The average number of passengers on board is 135, 6 more per flight than in 2019 (129).  

The number of cargo flights decreased by 9% compared to 2021.