In March 2015 the number of passengers at Brussels Airport grew significantly to 1.7 million, up 9.3% on March 2014. Cargo volume rose to 43,785 tonnes, up 8.2% on last year. Brussels Airport has had a strong first quarter, with half a million more passengers (+13%) and 11,000 tonnes more cargo traffic (+10%) compared with the first quarter of 2014.
Passengers
In March Brussels Airport registered 1,711,849 passengers – a 9.3% increase on March last year. Growth was recorded in all segments, but the low-cost airlines, Brussels Airlines and long-haul flights saw the biggest rises.
The number of local passengers departing from Brussels Airport was up 6.1%. This is remarkable given the fact that the midterm holidays fell in February this year so don’t appear in the March figures, but do appear in those for March 2014.
The number of transfer passengers also grew strongly in March 2015, up almost 35%. This excellent performance is due to the broader offer of connecting flights, and Brussels Airlines expanding its capacity.
In the first quarter of this year, Brussels Airport welcomed 4,502,074 passengers – 529,581 more than in the first quarter of last year. The summer season started at Brussels Airport at the end of March. Several new routes have been added, including to St Petersburg (Brussels Airlines) and Verona (Ryanair).
Cargo traffic
Cargo traffic at Brussels Airport grew strongly again in March, up 8.2% on March 2014. Growth was spread across all segments: full-freighter, cargo carried on board of passenger aircraft and express transport.
In the first quarter of 2015, a total of 120,117 tonnes of cargo were transported, up 9.7% on the first quarter of last year. The significant growth in the full-freighter segment is striking compared with other European airports which, on average, saw decreases in this segment. In addition, express services achieved substantial growth, with DHL notching up stable double-digit volume growth in recent years.
Brussels Airport has put itself on the international map thanks to years of strategic investment in cargo traffic, with a specialisation in complex logistical processes such as transporting temperature-sensitive products and pharmaceuticals. This is enabling Brussels Airport to strengthen Belgium’s role as a logistics hub.
Movements
The number of movements in March 2015 rose by 5.1%. On average there were 105 passengers on each flight. This is an improvement on March last year, when on average 101 passengers were carried on each flight.
In the first quarter of 2015, the load factor grew by 4% compared with the first quarter of 2014.
You can find more detailed information in the table below.
April 14, 2015