Union action costs Brussels Airport 275,000 passengers in a year
A total of 24.4 million passengers travelled through Brussels Airport last year, management says. Without the seven national trade union actions that took place during the year, that number would have been 275,000 higher.
The strikes, which were not directed against the airport but against government measures, resulted in 2,400 flights being cancelled at the airport. Management had previously calculated the financial impact at around 175 million euros.
3.3 per cent more passengers passed through Zaventem than in 2024. The total is almost 2 million below the 2019 record of almost 26.4 million. However, another record was set, with the average number of passengers per flight rising to 145.
"Despite the challenges we faced, such as national strikes and a cyber incident at one of our suppliers, we remained focused on our core task"
Spain, Italy and Germany were the most popular destinations. Three new airlines began serving the airport – Cathay Pacific, Air Senegal and Smartwings – and six passenger destinations were added.
“Despite the challenges we faced, such as national strikes and a cyber incident at one of our suppliers, we remained focused on our core task: connecting people, businesses and communities, both for passenger traffic and cargo,” says airport CEO Arnaud Feist. “This is also reflected in the figures, with growth in both passenger and cargo traffic.”
Brussels was the victim of a major cyberattack in September, alongside Heathrow and Berlin airports, while drone activity also led to brief closures in the autumn.
The airport handled 795,000 tonnes of cargo last year, 8.5 per cent more than in 2024. Asia ranks first for both imports and exports of cargo.
There were a total of 198,000 flight movements to and from the airport. 15,771 nighttime departures and landings were allocated, within the legal limit of a maximum of 16,000 slots.
In addition, there were just over 1,000 night flights without night slots, for example delayed aircraft. Whether these flights were operated for a valid reason is checked by the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation. The number of such flights without night slots has fallen significantly in recent years, the airport says.
#FlandersNewsService | Passengers at Brussels Airport during a national strike on 14 October 2025 © BELGA PHOTO MARIUS BURGELMAN
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