Industrial action freezes passenger growth at Brussels Airport; cargo up 3%

Brussels Airport handled 1.76 million passengers in November, a marginal 0.1% increase on the previous year, as three days of national industrial action heavily suppressed traffic.

The strike on 26 November forced the cancellation of all departing flights and more than half of arrivals, contributing to a week in which many travellers abandoned their plans. Brussels Airport said national strike days have already caused 275,000 passengers to miss flights in 2025, costing the Belgian economy an estimated 175 million euros.

Cargo operations were more resilient, with total volumes rising 3% year-on-year to 69,070 tonnes. Flown cargo increased 7%, driven by strong growth in full-freight (+10%) and integrator (+7%) segments, while trucked cargo fell 18%. Asia remained the airport’s main import and export region, followed by Africa and North America.

Flight movements declined 2.5% overall, including a 2% drop in passenger flights and an almost 8% fall in cargo flights. Aircraft carried an average of 144 passengers per flight, slightly higher than in November 2024.