24.4 million passengers at Brussels Airport in 2025, 3.3% more than in 2024

Cargo grows by 8.5% with 795,000 tonnes of freight last year 

24.4 million passengers travelled through Brussels Airport last year, an increase of 3.3% compared to 2024. Due to the seven national union actions, this growth was lower than expected, with a negative impact of 275,000 fewer travellers. On the upside, in 2025, Brussels Airport's network was further strengthened with six new passenger destinations and three new passenger airlines. In terms of cargo, 2025 was a strong year with an 8.5% increase in total volumes to 795,000 tonnes.  

“2025 was a year of further growth, a stronger network and the launch of the first phase of Hub 3.0, our large-scale investment project to improve the airport experience for our passengers. Despite the challenges we faced, such as national strikes and a cyber incident at one of our suppliers, we remained focused on our core task: connecting people, businesses and communities, both for passenger traffic and cargo. This is also reflected in the figures, with growth in both passenger and cargo traffic. Together with all our airport partners, we have demonstrated our resilience and commitment to further strengthen our role as our country's international gateway," says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport. 

Passengers: an increase of 3.3% compared to 2024 

In 2025, 24,4 million passengers travelled through Brussels Airport. This represents an increase of 3.3% compared to 2024 (23.6 million passengers). Leisure travel and travel to visit family and friends saw the strongest growth. However, the seven national trade union actions led to a total of 2,400 cancelled flights. This resulted in 275,000 fewer travellers last year ,tempering overall growth. 

The passenger network expanded further with three new airlines Cathay Pacific, Air Senegal and Smartwings, and six new destinations. Three important intercontinental destinations were added, expanding the range of options for passengers, both for direct destinations and for onward travel:  Atlanta (Delta Air Lines), Chongqing (Hainan Airlines) and Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific. The new short- and medium-haul routes are Bordeaux (easyJet), Larnaca (Aegean) and Scandinavian Mountains Airport (TUI fly). 

The share of departing transfer passengers was 14%, particularly on routes between Europe, Africa and North America. Brussels Airport continues to play a key role as a hub for Star Alliance, the largest passenger airline alliance in the world. 

The ten countries with the most passengers in 2025 were Spain, Italy, Germany, Türkiye, Morocco, Greece, Portugal, France, the United States and Switzerland. 

Cargo: an increase of 8.5% in total volumes compared to 2024 

Last year, 795,000 tonnes of cargo were transported via Brussels Airport, an increase of 8.5% compared to 2024. Air cargo transport rose even more sharply, by 11.5% compared to 2024.  

Belly cargo rose by 9.2% due to the continued growth in passenger flights and new long haul intercontinental destinations. Express services also saw a sharp increase (+22.3%) compared to 2024. In the full freighter segment, there was a slight increase in volumes compared to 2024 (+0.8%). Trucked cargo volumes fell by 6.7%. 

Asia, Africa and North America were the main import regions in 2025. For exports, Asia remained the leading destination, followed by North America and Africa. 

Air traffic movements in 2025 

The number of flights grew by 2.8% last year compared to 2024, to 198,000 flight movements. The number of passenger flights increased by 2.4%, while the number of passengers per flight rose from 144 in 2024 to a new record of 145 in 2025. The number of cargo flights grew by 2.2% compared to 2024. In addition to commercial flight movements, there were also 5,777 exempt flights (including state flights and military flights). 

In 2025, the independent slot coordinator (BSC) allocated 15,771 night slots, in compliance with the legal limit of a maximum of 16,000 night slots.  

In 2025, there were a total of 15,938 commercial flight movements during the night (between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.), which is fewer than in 2024 (16,284 commercial night-time flight movements). In addition, there were 299 exempt flights (state flights, military flights and helicopter flights). 

There are often operational reasons for night flights without a night slot, such as delays or operational problems. Whether these flights were carried out with a valid reason is always checked by the DGLV, which is responsible for overseeing this. 

The number of night flights without a night slot has fallen significantly over the past three years, by 29%, from 1,458 in 2022 to 1,032 in 2025, thanks to the proposals made by Brussels Airport and the proactive approach taken by the DGLV, BSC and the airlines. 

Results December 2025: start of Christmas holidays ensures strong end to the year 

Passengers: +3.9% compared to December 2024 

In December, Brussels Airport welcomed 1,843,000 passengers, an increase of 3.9% compared to December 2024. The busy start to the Christmas holidays had a positive impact on passenger numbers. The ten most popular destinations in December were Spain, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Türkiye, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States and Portugal. 

Cargo: 6.6% decrease compared to 2024 

Total cargo volumes at Brussels Airport saw a decrease of 6.6% in December 2025 compared to December 2024, to 65,000 tonnes. Air freight fell by 6.7%. This is particularly noticeable in the full freight segment (-21.1%) and in belly cargo (-5.9%). Express services, on the other hand, saw an increase of 6.0%. Trucked freight volumes fell by 5.8%.  

Flight movements 

In December, Brussels Airport recorded 15,297 aircraft movements, up 1.2% compared to December 2024. The number of passenger flights rose by 2.1%, with an average of 142 passengers per flight. The number of cargo flights fell by 9.6% in December compared to 2024. In addition to the regular flight movements, there were also 525 exempt flights (including state flights and military flights).