Brussels Airport welcomes over 1.5 Million Travelers In February Surge

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

In February, Brussels Airport recorded 1,553,477 passengers, marking a 14% growth from February 2023. The end of the month saw a rise in departures over arrivals, attributed to the commencement of the French Carnival holidays. The discontinuation of flights to Tel Aviv since last October remained a drag on passenger figures, as did the strikes at Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa.

Transfer passengers heading out made up 15% of the total, slightly up owing to a decrease in European transfers versus an uptick in intercontinental traffic.

The month’s most popular destinations in order were Spain, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Switzerland, the USA, France, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates.

Regarding air freight, volumes in February saw a 3% increase from February 2023, totaling 59,019 tonnes, with air cargo specifically up by 4% to 48,912 tonnes. The full freighter segment enjoyed an 11% rise, and freight on passenger flights increased by 21%, benefiting from more passenger services. Conversely, express services and trucked cargo volumes fell by 9% and 4%, respectively.

The main regions for imports were Asia, noting a significant 101% surge from February 2023, Africa (up 17%), and North America (down 10%). Asia was also the leading export region despite a 31% decline, followed by decreases to North America (20%) and Africa (3%).

Flight operations in February climbed by 10% year-over-year to 13,888, with passenger flights up by 12%. February 2024 saw an average of 138 passengers per flight, an increase from the previous year. Cargo flights diminished by 2%, mainly due to reduced express service flights.

« Back to Page