More than 1.5 million passengers at Brussels Airport in January

Almost 60,000 tonnes of freight transported

Brussels Airport recorded more than 1.5 million passengers in January, an 8% rise compared to the same period in 2024. The start of the month, which coincided with the second week of the Christmas holidays, saw a higher number of passengers arriving than departing. The national demonstration on 13 January had a negative impact on passenger numbers. The total amount of cargo carried grew by 8%, amounting to almost 60,000 tonnes.

Passenger numbers: up +8% compared to January 2024

In January 2025, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,518,032 passengers, an 8% increase compared to January 2024. However, the national demonstration on 13 January, which unfortunately disrupted flights, had a negative impact on passenger numbers. Difficult winter conditions also affected traffic, particularly to the UK and Ireland.

The second week of the Christmas holidays saw a greater number of passengers arriving than departing at the start of the month. Furthermore, the proportion of passengers transferring to their holiday destination was over 17% in January, a percentage represented mainly by passengers to or from Africa and North America.

The 10 most visited countries in January were, respectively, Spain, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Portugal.

Air freight volumes: +11% compared to January 2024

Total cargo volumes through Brussels Airport rose by 8% in January compared to January 2024 to reach 59,385 tonnes. Air cargo volumes also saw a 11% increase, reaching a total of 51,526 tonnes.

The full-freight segment grew by almost 4%. Belly cargo increased by 9%, partly due to the increase in passenger flights. Integrator services increased by 20% compared to January 2024, while trucked volumes fell by 9%.

The primary import regions are Asia, Africa and North America. Asia remains the leading export region, followed by Africa and North America.

Flight movements: up +7% compared to January 2024

There were 14,457 aircraft movements in January, up 7% compared to the same month in 2024. The number of passenger flights saw a 6% increase. The number of cargo flights increased by 14% compared to the same period in 2024.

On average, there were 131 passengers per flight, 2.3% more than in January 2024. This number remains high thanks to the use of larger aircraft and improved load factors.