Nearly 1.8 million passengers (+1.9%) at Brussels Airport in March

In March, nearly 1.8 million passengers travelled via Brussels Airport, representing a 1.9% increase despite the negative impact of the Middle East conflict and the national strike day on 12 March. Last month, Brussels Airport further expanded its offer with two new airlines and two new destinations. In the cargo segment, volumes increased by 8.8% to a total of 75,000 tonnes.

Negative impact of the Middle East conflict and union action

Due to the situation in the Middle East, there were no flights to Tel Aviv and Doha in March, and a reduced offer to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This resulted in a loss of around 50,000 passengers.

Domestically, there was a national day of action against the federal government’s cost-cutting measures. Part of the staff of the external security service provider went on strike, forcing the cancellation of 359 departing and arriving flights. In total, 30,000 passengers were affected.

In addition, the spring holidays took place in February this year, which also impacted passenger numbers. Nevertheless, the airport welcomed a total of 1,767,797 passengers in March, an increase of 1.9% compared to March 2025.

March also brought positive news with the arrival of two new airlines and new routes. Air China now operates seven weekly flights to Beijing and three to the new destination Chengdu, expanding the Asian network to nine direct connections. Another newcomer is the Spanish airline Volotea, with three weekly flights to Oviedo (Asturias, Spain). Finally, Royal Air Maroc is also expanding its offer with two weekly flights to Tetouan.

Transfer passengers account for 17% of the departing passengers, mainly connecting to destinations in Africa, North America and Europe. ​

The ten most popular destinations in March were Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Morocco, Türkiye, the United States, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Cargo volumes continue to grow (+8.8%)

Total cargo volume via Brussels Airport reached 74,419 tonnes in March, an increase of 8.8% compared to the same month in 2025. Flown cargo increased by 5.1%, driven by growth in the integrator segment (+5.8%) and by strong growth in the full freighter segment (+14.1%), supported by additional frequencies to Latin America and Asia. ​

Belly cargo decreased by 8%, mainly due to cancelled passenger flights to the Middle East and the strike on 12 March. Trucked volumes, on the other hand, saw a significant increase of nearly 30%.

The main import regions are Asia, Africa and North America. The same top three regions are also seen in exports. ​

Slight decrease in flight movements (-0.7%) ​

In March, the number of commercial flight movements decreased by 0.7% compared to the same month in 2025. This decline is seen in both passenger flights (-0.5%) and cargo flights (-2.8%). ​

As in previous months, the average number of passengers per flight is increasing. In March, there were on average 139 passengers per flight, four more than last year.