1.8 million passengers at Brussels Airport in November, up by a mere 0.1% due to national industrial action

Cargo volumes up 3% to 69,000 tonnes 

1.8 million passengers travelled through Brussels Airport in November, up 0.1% from November 2024. National industrial actions in November had a big impact on passenger figures this month. There were no departing flights on 26 November, but there were also fewer passengers than expected on the preceding two industrial action days. Total cargo volumes rose 3% to a total of 69,000 tonnes. 

Passenger figures: stable compared to 2024 

In November, the airport welcomed 1,757,906 passengers, up 0.1% from 2024. National industrial actions in November strongly affected passenger figures this month. With industrial actions on three consecutive days, a lot of travellers cancelled their travel plans during the week of 24 November. On Wednesday 26 November, there were no departing passenger flights at all and more than half of arriving passenger flights had to be cancelled.  

The national strike day in November was the seventh national industrial action day this year with a major impact on the airport and its airlines. Because of these national days of strike action,  already 275,000 passengers missed their flight this year with a cost for the Belgian economy of 175 million euros. This is a very heavy impact that Brussels Airport deeply regrets.   

Transfer passengers made up 13% of the departing passengers, a decrease from 2024 and again a result of the industrial actions that also put pressure on Brussels Airport’s position as a transport hub. 

The top ten countries last month were Spain, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Morocco, France, Switzerland, Portugal, the United States, and the United Kingdom, respectively. 

Total cargo volumes: +3% compared to 2024   

Cargo volumes at Brussels Airport increased by 3% in November compared to the same period in 2024, to a total of 69,070 tonnes of cargo. Flown cargo grew by 7% to a total of 59,650 tonnes. 

There was a 10% increase in the full-cargo segment. Belly cargo increased by 2%. The integrator segment was up 7%, while trucked volumes recorded an 18% drop. 

The main import regions were Asia, Africa, and North America. Asia also remained the main export region, again followed by Africa and North America.  

Flight movements: down 2.5%  

Flight movements in November were down 2.5% compared to the same month last year. The number of passenger flights experienced a 2% decline, while cargo flights were down almost 8%. 

There was an average of 144 passengers per flight in November 2025, four more than November 2024.