Brussels Airport exceeded 2.2 million passengers in April despite reduced traffic to the Middle East
Brussels Airport recorded more than 2.2 million passengers in April, continuing the growth of passenger traffic at Belgium’s main airport. According to the announcement by Brussels Airport Company from May 12, 2026, 2,203,773 passengers passed through the airport in April, which is 3.8 percent more than in the same month of 2025. The growth was achieved despite the continuation of disruptions connected with the situation in the Middle East, because of which some routes remain suspended or are operating with fewer frequencies than a year earlier. In the same month, cargo traffic also increased, so the total cargo volume reached 73,964 tonnes, or 6.2 percent more than in April last year. These figures confirm that the airport in Zaventem continues to rely on a combination of strong tourist demand, transfer traffic and a developed cargo platform.
Holidays strongly influenced passenger numbers
According to Brussels Airport Company, the April result was largely connected with the school holiday calendar. At the beginning of the month, passenger traffic was boosted by holidays in the Flemish education system, while the end of April brought additional demand because of holidays in francophone education. Such a calendar arrangement particularly benefits shorter European trips, Mediterranean destinations and family departures, and in April it was reflected in traffic in both directions. At the beginning of the month, the airport had already announced a very busy Easter period, with more than 1.25 million expected passengers between April 3 and 19, which explains why precisely that part of the month was important for the overall result. Although the data do not mean a return to record levels from all pre-crisis periods, they show stable growth compared with 2025 and a continued recovery in demand for flights from Brussels.
European and sunny destinations still dominate the structure of demand, but the Brussels Airport report also shows the importance of intercontinental connections. The ten most popular countries in April were Spain, Italy, Morocco, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, France, the United States of America, Switzerland and Greece. This order points to a combination of leisure traffic, visits to family and friends, business travel and long-haul connections via the Belgian hub. It is especially visible that Morocco ranks very high among destinations, which is in line with the long-standing importance of links between Belgium and North Africa. The United States, meanwhile, confirms the role of Brussels as a point of departure and transfer point for transatlantic traffic.
The Middle East continues to reduce growth potential
The growth of 3.8 percent was achieved in circumstances that were not entirely favorable for the airport. According to Brussels Airport Company, in April there were still no flights to Tel Aviv and Doha, while routes to Dubai and Abu Dhabi were operated again, but with lower frequency than the previous year. The airport estimates that this situation led to the loss of around 50,000 passengers in April. This means that underlying demand, especially on tourist and European routes, was strong enough to neutralize part of the negative effect on the Middle East network. Such a pattern was also visible in the March results, when Brussels Airport also cited the absence of flights to Tel Aviv and Doha and the weaker offer to Dubai and Abu Dhabi as an important limiting factor.
Disruptions on Middle Eastern routes are important also because they do not affect only direct passengers to those cities. Such connections often have a transfer function, connecting European passengers with destinations in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. When frequencies are reduced or routes are temporarily suspended, the consequences are seen in a smaller choice of connections, weaker load factors on some network flows and changes in the cargo segment that uses the capacity of passenger aircraft. Because of this, Brussels Airport recorded a decline in cargo transported in the belly of passenger aircraft in April, while other cargo segments continued to grow. In this way, the airport shows resilience, but also sensitivity to geopolitical disruptions that directly change the available flight network.
New route to Gdańsk expands the European network
In April, Brussels Airport further expanded its network of direct flights by introducing a new connection with Gdańsk in Poland. According to the airport’s announcement, the route is operated by LOT Polish Airlines, four times a week. The new route fits into the broader profile of Brussels Airport, which in 2026, according to official Brussels Airport data, connects Belgium with 205 direct destinations around the world through flights by 83 airlines. Such network expansion is important both for business passengers and for tourist traffic, because it increases the choice of direct connections and reduces the need for transfers through larger neighboring hubs. Gdańsk is also relevant as an urban, business and tourist destination on the Baltic, but also as an additional point in the growing offer toward Central and Eastern Europe.
The share of transfer passengers in April was 12 percent among departing passengers, Brussels Airport Company states. Transfer traffic grew especially on connections to Europe, Africa and North America, which confirms the function of Brussels Airport as a hub, and not only as a departure and arrival airport for the Belgian market. Such traffic is important for the sustainability of the wider network because it fills flights that do not depend exclusively on local demand. For airlines this means a better possibility of combining local passengers and connecting passengers, while for the airport it means higher traffic through terminals, security checks, commercial facilities and related services. Ultimately, a transfer share of 12 percent shows that Brussels Airport remains a relevant point in European air traffic, although it competes with larger hubs in the region.
Cargo traffic rose to almost 74,000 tonnes
Cargo traffic in April was one of the strongest elements of the monthly report. According to Brussels Airport Company, total cargo volume amounted to 73,964 tonnes, which is an increase of 6.2 percent compared with April 2025. Air cargo increased by 6.4 percent, and growth was particularly influenced by express services and the full-freighter aircraft segment. Express services increased by 1.9 percent, while the full-freighter segment rose by 23.5 percent, mainly thanks to larger volumes toward Asia. At the same time, cargo in passenger aircraft, known as belly cargo, fell by 8 percent, which the airport links to cancelled or reduced flights to the Middle East.
Such a structure shows that the growth of cargo traffic was not evenly distributed across all segments. Full-freighter aircraft took on a more important role in a month in which some passenger routes had lower capacity, while trucked cargo volumes increased by 5.2 percent. Brussels Airport states that the most important import regions were Asia, North America and Africa, with Asia and North America growing strongly. The same three regions were also the most important export markets, with growth toward North America and Africa. The cargo result is important beyond the airport itself because Brussels Airport has a strong logistics role in pharmaceutical transport, perishable goods, e-commerce and the transport of live animals, and the airport itself emphasizes that it is a leading European pharmaceutical hub.
More flights and higher aircraft load factors
The number of commercial operations in April increased by 3 percent compared with April 2025, Brussels Airport Company announced. The number of passenger flights increased by 3.1 percent, and the number of cargo flights by 5.4 percent. This shows that traffic growth is not only the result of a higher number of passengers per flight, but also of a slight increase in operational activity. Still, aircraft load factor remains an important part of the picture: in April there were on average 151 passengers per flight, one more than a year earlier. This figure points to the continuation of the trend of more efficient capacity use, which is important for airports and carriers because of costs, slots, business sustainability and operational planning.
The comparison with March additionally shows how April traffic accelerated. In March, according to Brussels Airport, 1,767,797 passengers passed through the airport, with growth of 1.9 percent, but that month was also negatively affected by the national strike day on March 12, because of which 359 departing and arriving flights were cancelled, and around 30,000 passengers were affected. The April result can therefore be viewed as a month in which holidays and strong demand prevailed over part of the limitations in the flight network. In the same period, the airport continued to operate in an environment of increased operational challenges, including infrastructure adjustments and changes in public transport to the terminal. All this makes the April result a relevant indicator of resilience, but not proof that all traffic risks have disappeared.
Infrastructure projects accompany traffic growth
The growth of passengers and cargo is taking place at a time when Brussels Airport is carrying out major infrastructure works. According to the airport’s announcement, from May 7, 2026, the bus station at the airport was moved to a new location about 100 meters from the departure and arrival hall, in order to free up space for the Hub 3.0 project. The new temporary location has five platforms and handles traffic from De Lijn, MIVB, intercity buses and shuttle lines, and the airport states that the change does not affect timetables. Brussels Airport estimates that around 600 bus journeys are made to and from the airport every day, which means that bus traffic is an important part of airport access for passengers and employees. In the future intermodal hub, by 2030, train, bus, taxi, intercity transport and the terminus of the airport tram line should be connected.
Financial results for 2025 show why such projects are accelerating. According to Brussels Airport Company, the airport achieved record revenue of 828 million euros in 2025, 6 percent more than a year earlier, and invested a record 302 million euros in infrastructure. In the same year, 24.4 million passengers passed through the airport, 3.3 percent more than in 2024, while 795,000 tonnes of cargo were handled, 8.5 percent more than a year earlier. The airport’s management states that the investments relate to safety, comfort, capacity for passengers and logistics partners, including new facilities in Brucargo Central, the P30 parking building, the renovation of runway 25L/07R and the new The View lounge in Pier B. The same report also highlighted that the share of flights by the quietest aircraft increased to 42 percent, after changes in the system of differentiated airport charges.
Broader importance for the Belgian economy
Brussels Airport Company describes the airport as the second most important economic engine in Belgium, with around 64,000 direct and indirect jobs. That is why monthly traffic data are important not only for airlines and passengers, but also for logistics, tourism, trade, business travel, employment and regional mobility. When passenger traffic grows, pressure increases on terminal infrastructure, security procedures, public transport and supporting services. When cargo traffic grows, warehouses, freight forwarders, road hauliers and specialized logistics chains are additionally activated. The April result therefore fits into a broader trend in which Brussels Airport is trying at the same time to increase capacities, maintain operational stability and reduce the negative impact on the environment.
The latest data also show that growth is neither linear nor guaranteed. One part of traffic relies on seasonal holidays and tourist demand, another on the network decisions of airlines, and a third on external circumstances such as strikes, security changes and geopolitical disruptions. Nevertheless, April 2026 brought Brussels Airport growth in both the passenger and cargo segments, with an increase in the number of commercial flights and better average aircraft load factors. If connections to the Middle East stabilize in the coming months, the potential for additional growth could be greater than the April figures show. Until then, official data for April show an airport that continues to grow, but still operates in a traffic environment in which network resilience and operational flexibility are crucial.
Sources:
- Brussels Airport Company – official statement on passenger and cargo traffic in April 2026 (link)
- Brussels Airport Company – official data on March traffic and the impact of the Middle East situation and the strike (link)
- Brussels Airport Company – official announcement on the new bus station and the Hub 3.0 project (link)
- Brussels Airport Company – official financial results for 2025 and investment data (link)
- Aviation24.be – summary of April traffic indicators for Brussels Airport (link)