School Holidays Boost Passenger Numbers
Airport officials said the Easter and spring school holiday periods helped support strong passenger demand throughout April.
Separate holiday schedules for Flemish and French-speaking schools contributed to higher leisure travel volumes across the month.
Sunny leisure destinations dominated passenger demand, with Spain, Italy, Morocco, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, France, the United States, Switzerland and Greece ranking among the airport’s most popular markets.
Middle East Conflict Continues Affecting Operations
Despite the overall growth, Brussels Airport said the ongoing situation in the Middle East continued impacting operations and passenger volumes.
Flights to Tel Aviv and Doha remain suspended, while services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi have only partially resumed with lower frequencies compared to last year.
Airport officials estimated the disruption resulted in the loss of approximately 50,000 passengers during April alone.
LOT Polish Airlines Adds New Route
Brussels Airport expanded its route network during the month with the launch of four weekly nonstop flights to Gdańsk in Poland operated by LOT Polish Airlines.
The airport continues strengthening European connectivity as airlines increase capacity across leisure and business markets.
Transfer Traffic Shows Strong Growth
Transfer passengers represented around 12% of departing travellers in April.
The airport reported double-digit transfer traffic growth, particularly on routes connecting Europe, Africa and North America.
Cargo Volumes Continue Expanding
Brussels Airport also recorded continued growth within its cargo business.
Total cargo volumes reached 73,964 tonnes during April, an increase of 6.2% compared with the same month last year.
Flown cargo increased by 6.4%, supported primarily by growth in the full freighter segment, which surged by 23.5% due to higher demand on Asian routes.
Belly Cargo Impacted By Flight Cancellations
Belly cargo volumes declined by 8% because of reduced passenger flight operations to Middle Eastern destinations.
At the same time, trucked cargo volumes increased by 5.2%, helping offset part of the decline.
Commercial Flight Movements Rise
The airport also reported a 3% increase in commercial flight movements during April.
Passenger flight operations rose by 3.1%, while cargo flight movements increased by 5.4%.
Passenger load factors also continued improving, with flights averaging 151 passengers each — slightly above the level recorded during April 2025.
Brussels Airport Maintains Positive Growth Trend
Despite geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing air travel disruptions affecting some international routes, Brussels Airport said passenger and cargo traffic have continued showing steady growth since the start of the year.
