6.743.395 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in 2020, down 74% from 2019 - which was a record year. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis and travel restrictions had a negative impact on the number of passengers in 2020, despite the extraordinary figures recorded in the first two months of the year.
The freight segment increased by 2% in 2020, mainly for the transport of pharmaceuticals and medical products.
Passenger traffic: down 74% compared to 2019
6.743.395 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in 2020, down 74% from 2019. As in 2019, 17% of them were only in transit.
In the summer months, the number of passengers rose to 20% of total passenger traffic in the same period in 2019. Unfortunately, passenger air traffic fell in November to only 12% compared to the same period in 2019.
In December, the Christmas holidays attracted more travelers than in previous weeks. The number of passengers passing through Brussels Airport amounted to 338.110, which is a decrease of 82% compared to December 2019.
The Canary Islands was the favorite destination for tourists passing through Brussels Airport. Of the other passengers, most were visiting friends and relatives in Europe and North Africa, respecting global travel restrictions. There were also passengers traveling from Europe and North America to African destinations on the Brussels Airlines network.
Freight transport: a key role in 2020
In 2020, the freight sector at Brussels airport has developed positively. 511.613 tons of cargo were transported by air through Brussels Airport, up 2,2% from 2019 and continued to grow, starting in April. The strongest growth was registered on the full-cargo segment, increasing by 43% compared to 2019.
Express services increased significantly, by 18%. Due to this result, Brussels Airport continues to outpace the global and European growth of air freight
Imports originating in Asia increased strongly.
In December, a month that is very important for the freight industry, the volume of freight transported decreased by 3,4%, compared to December 2019. Express services increased by 34%. Imports, and especially goods flows from Asia, are on the rise, while the volume of exports has decreased compared to 2019.
The number of shipments of vaccines from Brussels airport is growing. More than 10 million doses have been shipped from Brussels to destinations around the world.
Aircraft movements
With 95.813 landings and takeoffs, the total number of aircraft movements recorded in 2020 decreased by 59% compared to 2019, when 234.460 aircraft movements were recorded. The number of passenger flights decreased by 68% and there were, on average, 104 passengers per flight
In 2020, the number of cargo flights increased by 29% compared to 2019. These additional flights were all performed daily; the number of night flights has stagnated.
In December, the number of flights decreased by 64% compared to December 2019, reaching 6.308 aircraft movements. Passenger flights decreased by 77%, while in the same month, freight flights increased by 41%.