Brussels Airport welcomed 165,000 passengers in February, a decrease of 90%
Cargo volumes record a 21% growth
165,456 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in February, which corresponds to a mere 10% of the number of passengers in February 2020. The ban on non-essential travel which applies since the end of January has a severe impact on passenger numbers, which are the lowest since the first lockdown nearly a year ago. Cargo traffic on the other hand, confirms the good results of the beginning of the year with a 21% increase in air cargo volumes compared to the same month last year.
Growth in the integrator segment (+50%) is explained by the routes DHL Express added to its network in 2020 and by the high demand for e-commerce transportation.
Trucked air cargo also increased, be it at a more moderate pace (+4%), as a larger volume was transported directly from Brussels Airport due to improved connectivity.
The total volume of cargo handled at Brussels Airport’s logistics platform grew by 17% compared to February 2020, totalling to 59,921 tonnes.
Import volumes increased strongly, especially from Asia and North America. Cargo volumes to and from Africa are still below last year's level, mainly due to the lower number of flights operated by Brussels Airlines.
Vaccine shipments to and from the logistics area at Brussels Airport are increasing, with more than 100 flights to over 40 destinations worldwide. The number of vaccine shipments is expected to increase further in the coming months.
Flight movements
The number of flight movements in February 2021 decreased by 72% compared to February 2020, totalling to 4,633 (compared to 16,538 last year). The number of passenger flights dropped by 85%. The number of passengers per flight averages 74, compared to 124 in February 2020.
The number of cargo flights increased by 47%. The number of full cargo flights remains well above the 2020 level. This is due to the high number of additional flights by passenger aircraft used for cargo only. The number of night flights die not increase. Several airlines use these passenger freighters to provide additional cargo capacity which partially compensates for the suppression of 'normal' passenger flights.
