1,603,565 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in March, up 42% on March 2022. Cargo volumes were down 8%.
Passenger traffic: +42% compared to March 2022
Brussels Airport welcomed 1,603,565 passengers in March, an increase of 42% compared to March 2022. This can be explained by the fact that the school holidays of Dutch-speaking and French-speaking schools no longer coincide.The extension of the Carnival holidays for French-speaking schools to two weeks led to a greater number of arrivals during the first week of March, while the beginning of the Easter holidays for Dutch-speaking schools resulted in a greater number of departures during the last week of March.
The share of transfer passengers was more than 17%, an increase of 84% compared to 2022. This confirms the resumption of intercontinental traffic and the position of Brussels Airport as a key hub for Brussels Airlines and its intercontinental and European partners within Star Alliance.
The ten most popular countries in March were Spain, Germany, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Turkey and Morocco.
Cargo: -8% volume compared to March 2022
In March, cargo volumes at Brussels Airport decreased by 8% compared to March 2022 to reach 66,225 tons, mainly due to the 27% decrease in trucked volumes.
Compared to March 2022, flown cargo volumes decreased by 3%. The full cargo segment continues to grow, by 4% in March, while belly cargo slightly grew with +1%. Express services saw a 9% decrease.
The main importing regions are Asia (+35% compared to March 2022), Africa (-13% vs March 2022) and North America (+6% vs March 2022). In terms of exports, Asia again (+17% vs March 2022) is realising the strongest growth, while Africa (-11% vs March 2022) and North America saw their volumes fall (-26% vs March 2022).
Flights: +12% compared to March 2022
The total number of flight movements increased by 12% in March 2023 compared to 2022. The number of passenger flights increased by 23% compared to 2022, with an average of 138 passengers per flight, compared to 120 in March 2022. The number of cargo flights decreased by 10% compared to March 2022.