Over 2 million passengers for three consecutive months, but Brussels Airport not yet back to pre-pandemic level

Brussels Airport handled just over two million passengers in September. It is the third month in a row that the cape of 2 million passengers was rounded, the airport announced on Friday, but the numbers are not yet back up to pre-pandemic levels.

With 2.002.540 passengers, Brussels Ariport reached 80 percent of the September 2019 passenger volume, before the coronavirus brought international air travel almost to a halt. "The strong recovery in passenger traffic which we saw during the summer holidays (with around 2,2 million passengers in both July and August, ed.) is therefore continuing beyond the holiday period", the airport said in a press release. In addition, business traffic started increasing again in September, and large numers of people from the Netherlands travelled via Brussels Airport to avoid the big crowds at Dutch airports.

"Cargo volumes are under pressure due to the current geopolitical situation and the disrupted energy market"

The average number of passengers per flight was 142 in September, up from 132 in 2019. "The occupancy rate of flights therefore continues to rise, as does the use of larger aircraft", the press release states.

After nine months, Brussels Airport stands at 14,1 million passengers in 2022, or 70 percent of the level in the same period in 2019.

The airport further handled 66.000 tonnes of cargo in September. That is 5 percent less than in September last year, but 30 percent more than in the same month in 2019. "Cargo volumes are under pressure due to the current geopolitical situation and the disrupted energy market, lockdowns in China and the impending recession and its impact on e-commerce", Brussels Airport stated.

(BRV)

© BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK