In March 2024, Brussels Airport witnessed a 9% surge in passenger traffic compared to the same period in 2023, with over 1.7 million passengers passing through its gates. This growth was driven by increased intercontinental travel, with nearly 17% of departing passengers being transfer passengers. Despite challenges such as the temporary suspension of flights to Israel and strikes at several airlines, the airport maintained stable passenger traffic with flights to Tel Aviv resuming late in the month.
The first quarter of 2024 saw a 10% year-over-year rise in passenger numbers, with intercontinental travel showing a stronger increase compared to intra-European travel. The most frequented destinations included Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, the U.S., Turkey, the U.K., Morocco, and Portugal.
However, cargo handling at the airport experienced a slight decline, with total volumes down 2% from March 2023 to nearly 65,000 tonnes. Flown cargo also decreased by about 2%, totaling 54,000 tonnes. The full freighter segment dropped by 5%, although belly cargo grew by 20% due to more passenger flights. Express services and trucked volumes each decreased by 9% and 5%, respectively.
Import volumes from Asia surged by 42% due to an uptick in e-commerce, while imports from Africa grew by 3%. North American imports, however, fell by 21%. The primary export regions were Asia (down 23%), Africa (down 1%), and North America (down 30%). Overall, the first quarter of 2024 showed a modest 1% increase in cargo volumes, with flown cargo growing by 2%.
