23.6 million passengers at Brussels Airport in 2024, up 6,4% on 2023

In 2024, Brussels Airport welcomed a total of 23.6 million passengers, up 6,4% on 2023. Moreover, the airport saw its network expanded with 10 new passenger destinations and five new airlines. Brussels Airport also recorded continued growth in the leisure segment, in both holiday travel and visits to family and friends. Overall cargo volumes increased by 5%, totalling 733,000 tonnes, and the cargo division welcomed four new airlines.

“Together with the entire airport community, we successfully brought 23.6 million passengers to their destinations smoothly and comfortably last year. We further strengthened our network, particularly our intercontinental network, by adding five significant new long-haul destinations. This provides numerous additional opportunities for holidaymakers, people visiting family and friends, and business travellers to access large parts of the world directly from Brussels Airport. In total, we welcomed nine new airlines for passengers and cargo. Our cargo community achieved solid growth, supporting the import and export businesses and the broader economy of our country.”, said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport.

Passenger traffic: up 6,4% on 2023

In 2024, 23,610,856 passengers passed through Brussels Airport. This is an increase of 6,4% on 2023 (22.2 million passengers). Holiday travel, particularly trips to visit family and friends, saw the highest increase.

Last year, Brussels Airport expanded its passenger network with 10 new destinations and five new airlines. Primarily intercontinental destinations were added, significantly expanding the options for passengers, both for direct travel and onward connections.

In the long-haul segment, Brussels Airlines launched a new connection to Nairobi, while Singapore Airlines (Singapore) and Thai Airways (Bangkok) resumed services at the airport. TUI fly added Curaçao to its network, and Hainan Airlines and Juneyao Air launched direct daily flights to Shanghai, China. New short-haul routes include Krakow (Brussels Airlines), Bergen (Wideroe), Gazipaşa (Corendon Airlines), Bari (Transavia) and Tromsø (Norwegian).

Transfer passengers accounted for 14% of all departing passengers, particularly between Europe, Africa, and North America. In this regard, Brussels Airport remains a key hub for the Star Alliance network.

The 10 countries with the most passengers in 2024 were Spain, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, United Kingdom, United States, Portugal, France and Switzerland respectively.

In December, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,773,930 passengers, representing an 11% growth in passenger numbers compared to December 2023. The busy start of the Christmas holidays positively impacted passenger numbers, with a notable increase in departing travellers. The top 10 countries in December were Spain, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, United States, Morocco, Switzerland, France, Turkey and Portugal, respectively.

Cargo: 5% increase in flown cargo compared to 2023

In 2024 the total cargo volume amounted to 732,797 tonnes, or a 5% increase compared to 2023. Flown cargo at Brussels Airport recorded a 5% increase compared to 2023, in line with the global trend. Four new airlines started cargo operations at Brussels Airport: LATAM Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, Farcargo and Virgin Atlantic.

In the full-freight segment, volumes remained stable compared to 2023, with a slight increase of +0.1%. Belly cargo increased by 23% due to the continued recovery of passenger flights and the new intercontinental destinations. The integrator segment also remained stable (-0.2%) compared to 2023.

The primary import regions in 2024 were Asia, Africa and North America. Asia also ranked first in terms of exports, followed by North America and Africa.

In December, total cargo volumes carried through Brussels Airport recorded a 38% increase compared to December 2023. Flown cargo increased by 43%, partly driven by the year-end peak and the announced increase in flights by LATAM Cargo. Volumes increased across all segments: full freight (+57%), express services (+28%), belly cargo (+49%), and trucked cargo (+14%).

Flights

The total number of flight movements increased by 3% in 2024 compared to 2023, to 198,617 flight movements. The number of passenger flights increased by 4% compared to 2023. The number of passengers per flight is up from 141 in 2023 to a new record of 144, due to the use of larger aircraft and an ever-increasing load factor. The number of cargo flights increased slightly by 1% compared to 2023.

In 2024, the independent slot coordinator (BSC) allocated 15,866 night slots, which complies with the legal limit of maximum 16.000 night slots.

There were 16,175 commercial flight movements during the night (between 11pm and 6am) in 2024, which is lower than in 2023 (16,284 commercial night flight movements). In addition, there were 105 helicopter flights and 100 exempted flights (military flights, government flights, etc.).

There are often operational reasons for night flights without night slots, such as delays or operational problems. Whether these flights were conducted with a valid reason is subject to verification by the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (DGLV/DGTA) which is competent in this matter.

The number of night flights without night slots has dropped significantly by -28% over the past 2 years from 1,458 in 2022 to 1,055 in 2024, thanks to Brussels Airport's proposals and the proactive approach of DGLV, BSC and the airlines.

In December there were 15,609 flight movements at Brussels Airport, an 8% increase compared to December 2023. The number of passenger flights equally grew by 8%, with an average of 139 passengers per flight. The number of cargo flights increased by 14% in December compared to 2023.