Almost 2 million passengers passed through Brussels Airport in November.

Over the course of November, Brussels Airport welcomed more than 2 million passengers, representing an increase of 2.7% compared to November 2018. Freight transport decreased by 12.1% compared to the same month last year. The number of flights was down by 3.4%.

In November, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,992,452 passengers, up 2.7% on November 2018.

The number of originating passengers increased by 1.7% compared to November 2018, while the number of transfer passengers increased by 7.9% compared to the same month last year. This growth is mainly explained by the increase in the number of transfer passengers at Brussels Airlines, driven by the development of Brussels Airport as an important hub in the Star Alliance network.

The bankruptcy of Thomas Cook had only a minor effect in November because of the lower number of holiday flights. On the other hand, the bankruptcies of WOW Air, Fly bmi and Adria Airways had a more noticeable impact on the month’s results.

In the short- and medium-haul segment, the largest growth was recorded at Brussels Airlines, Ryanair, easyJet, TAP Air Portugal, AirBaltic, SAS, Loganair, Swiss, Iberia, Icelandair, Croatia Airlines, Corendon and Royal Air Maroc

Long-haul traffic continued to grow significantly by almost 10% in November. The strongest growth was at Ethiopian, Emirates, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, THAI, Etihad, United, Air Canada and Qatar.

Freight

Freight transport at Brussels Airport fell by 12.1% in November 2019 compared to November 2018. The negative trend over recent months continued, in line with trends in Europe and the rest of the world.

Flown cargo (-9.4%) and trucked air cargo (-19.5%) both decreased. The highest decrease in the first category is for belly cargo (-15.8%). The full freight volumes fell by 11.2%, while integrator services recorded a 3.2% decrease.

Flights

The number of flight movements fell by 3.4% compared with November 2018. The number of passenger flights decreased by 2.5%. The average number of passengers per flight went up 5% from 123 in November 2018 to 129 in November 2019.

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About Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport is one of the most important airports in Europe. In 2025, Brussels Airport welcomed 24.4 million passengers and transported 795,000 tonnes of cargo through the airport. Brussels Airport caters for the specific needs of business travellers and holidaymakers alike, on both intra-European and long haul flights. In 2026, the airport offers direct connections between Belgium and 205 destinations worldwide, with flights operated by 83 airlines.   

The airport also offers a leading cargo platform, specialised in the transport of pharmaceutical products, perishable goods, e-commerce and live animals. Brussels Airport is the most important pharmaceutical hub in Europe.

With its SHIFT 2027 strategy Brussels Airport Company intends to strengthen its position as a major European hub, accelerate its ambitious sustainability goals, e.g. through the European Green Deal project Stargate, and continue to diversify its activities by focusing on innovation and cooperation.

Brussels Airport is the second most important economic engine in Belgium, good for 64,000 direct and indirect jobs and is owned and operated by Brussels Airport Company. The shareholders are a consortium between PMV and private investors (75%) and FPIM/SFPI (25%). 

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Contact

Press Office Brussels Airport Company Luchthaven Brussel Nationaal 1M 1930 Zaventem

+32 (0)2 753 53 53 (for journalists only)

media@brusselsairport.be

www.brusselsairport.be