Brussels Airport Company released its monthly traffic bulletin on 14 October 2026, confirming that 2.36 million passengers passed through the airport in September—up 3.9 % on the same month last year. Cargo volumes also rose sharply, with 70,257 tonnes handled (+6.8 % year-on-year). The rebound is noteworthy because it comes despite a series of transport strikes earlier in the year that disrupted several operating days. Airport management highlighted that only “part of the scheduled flights could be operated” during national action days in March and May as well as a spontaneous walk-out by air-traffic-control provider skeyes in June. Nevertheless, passenger numbers for the first nine months of 2026 are still 3.2 % above 2025 levels, underlining the resilience of Belgium’s hub to industrial turbulence and confirming that business travel demand has normalised after the pandemic years. For corporate mobility managers the figures matter in two ways. First, the 11.4 % jump in cargo carried on passenger aircraft signals improved belly-hold capacity, which can translate into more predictable lead-times for high-value shipments—particularly pharmaceuticals, a Belgian export speciality. Second, with average load factors rising to 150 passengers per flight, the probability of last-minute seat scarcity on key European business routes (Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Switzerland were among the top ten destinations) increases, reinforcing the need for earlier booking windows in corporate travel policies. The airport also used the bulletin to remind stakeholders of its SHIFT 2027 masterplan, which will expand long-haul connectivity to 205 direct destinations served by 83 airlines and invest €25 million in upgrading 33 boarding bridges in Pier A. Forward-looking infrastructure projects of this scale have practical implications for expatriate assignment planning: greater route diversity means easier family visits and lower total cost of mobility packages, while long-term construction works could create temporary gate changes that mobility coordinators should flag to frequent travellers. Overall, the September data suggest that Belgium’s principal international gateway has consolidated its role as a strategic node for both passenger and logistics flows—welcome news for multinationals basing regional headquarters in Brussels and for companies routing supply chains through the Benelux region.
Source: Brussels Airport pressroom
