Brussels Airport celebrates its 25 million passengers

On Friday, 21 December, Brussels Airport welcomed its 25^th millionth passenger of the year – an impressive figure that attests to the appeal of Brussels Airport for passengers thanks to the development of its network, the improvement of its infrastructure, and the quality of its services and its shopping area.

2018 is undoubtedly a vintage year for Brussels Airport. With 25 million passengers since the 1^st of January, the airport records strong growth. 700,000 passengers in 1959, 5 million in 1979, 21.6 million in 2000, the first new record in 2014 with 21.7 million passengers and a succession of records in the subsequent years to exceed the 25 million mark today. Brussels airport has reached this milestone thanks to the outstanding work of its teams and partners – but also because passengers are increasingly choosing our airport for their business or leisure trips. Whereas short-haul flights are more popular than ever, intercontinental flights play an essential role in the appeal of Brussels Airport. In addition to the number of destinations, passengers have been convinced by the infrastructure, service, shopping and restaurants as well as the number of digital tools.

“Welcoming over 25 million passengers in one year represents nearly 70,000 passengers per day on average, with peaks of up to 95,000 at the start of the holiday season. We are sparing no effort to make sure that every passenger feels right at home in our airport and benefits from the high-quality service they expect. 20,000 staff at the airport deploy their energy and enthusiasm day in and day out so that our passengers can travel under optimal conditions, from the time they arrive at the terminal until they board their plane,” says Arnaud Feist, CEO of the Brussels Airport Company.

The red carpet was rolled out this Friday, 21 December to celebrate this milestone, with dance performances, Belgian chocolate and live music for the first departures. Brussels Airport has thus started the Christmas holidays in a festive manner. This Friday is moreover a very busy day at Brussels airport, with no fewer than 79,000 passengers expected.

Brussels Airport, 21 December 2018