20/01/2026
Last year, 24.4 million passengers travelled via Brussels Airport, which is 3.3% more than in 2024. Due to seven national trade union actions, this growth was less strong than expected, resulting in 275,000 fewer passengers.
In total, there were 198,370 aircraft movements in 2025, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2024. An important development is that airlines are deploying larger and better-filled aircraft. As a result, the number of passengers per flight rose from 144 to 145, the highest figure ever, without a significant increase in the number of flights.
In 2025, the independent slot coordinator (BSC) allocated 15,771 night slots, which complies with the legal limit of a maximum of 16,000 night slots. There were a total of 15,938 commercial aircraft movements at night (between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.), fewer than in 2024 (when there were 16,284). In addition, there were 299 exempt flights (state flights, military flights, and helicopter flights).
Sometimes night flights take place without a previously allocated slot, for example due to delays or operational problems. Whether these flights were operated for a valid reason is always checked by the federal government.
The number of night flights without a night slot has decreased sharply over the past three years, by 29%, from 1,458 in 2022 to 1,032 in 2025, thanks to proposals from Brussels Airport and the proactive approach of the aviation authorities.
Cargo activities remain an important part of Brussels Airport. In 2025, 795,000 tonnes of cargo were handled, representing growth of 8.5% compared to 2024. The number of cargo flights increased by 2.2%. It is important to note that a large amount of freight is carried on passenger flights, especially to long-haul destinations. This so-called “belly cargo” increased by 9.2%. In addition, express services such as courier and urgent transport grew by 22.3%.
The key insights: