Cargo

Brussels Airport wins International Cargo Airport of the Year Award in India

Brussels Airport has won the International Cargo Airport of the Year award at Air Cargo India 2018. Brussels Airport was awarded for its strong development of the Brucargo freight division as a hub of pharmaceutical products.

Brussels Airport distinguishes itself worldwide by virtue of its specialised cargo infrastructure for the transport and handling of pharmaceutical and biotechnological products. With innovations such as the airside pharma transporter and an exhaustive collaboration with all logistics partners, the airport has been fully committed to the transport of temperature-sensitive products and uninterrupted cold chain transport for several years. Brussels Airport and IATA developed the CEIV Pharma certificate program together and Brussels Airport was the first airport in the world to receive this CEIV Pharma certificate in 2015 from IATA.

The International Cargo Airport of the Year Award in India recognises this pioneering role of Brussels Airport. The airport transported 536,000 tons of cargo per aircraft last year and experienced an 18% increase in the transport of pharmaceuticals. India is a very important country in terms of the production and transportation of pharmaceuticals. Belgium is also a global player: of the top 30 pharmaceutical companies in the world, 29 have an office in Belgium. Many pharmaceutical products are shipped as so-called belly cargo on board passenger flights. The Brussels Airlines to Mumbai route, which was launched in March 2017, is a crucial factor in this success story.

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About Brussels Airport

Brussels Airport is one of the most important airports in Europe. In 2024, Brussels Airport welcomed 23.6 million passengers and transported 733,000 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 2025, the airport offers direct connections between Belgium and 210 destinations worldwide, with flights operated by 80 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 the largest area of temperature-controlled warehouses.  

With its SHIFT 2027 strategy, launched in 2022, 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 of private investors (75%) and the Belgian State (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