Brussels Airport handled 2.36 million passengers in September 2026, marking the sixth consecutive month that traffic has exceeded the two-million threshold, according to figures released on Wednesday. The result puts the airport on course to surpass 25 million annual passengers for the first time since 2019, signalling a solid rebound in both leisure and corporate travel. Short-haul sunshine routes to Spain, Italy, Türkiye and Greece remained the engine of growth, but airport operator Brussels Airport Company highlighted a “notable uptick” in premium long-haul demand from North America and the Gulf. Large Belgian corporates in the life-sciences, technology and consultancy sectors have restored more than 90 % of their 2019 travel volumes, driven by project work and the gradual normalisation of expatriate assignments. Cargo volumes also surprised on the upside, rising 8.1 % year-to-date to 627,000 tonnes. Time-critical express shipments—pharmaceuticals, high-value electronics and e-commerce—now account for 36 % of the airport’s freight tonnage, underpinned by DHL’s European hub and the presence of several specialised cold-chain operators. Logistics analysts note that the growth comes despite the well-publicised immigration-checkpoint bottlenecks affecting non-EU flight crews; handling agents have so far mitigated delays by adjusting arrival slots. For global-mobility managers, the traffic surge has two direct consequences. First, peak-morning security queues for Schengen flights are lengthening again, so fast-lane passes—or at minimum, digital pre-security reservations—are advisable for time-sensitive travellers. Second, seat availability on transatlantic routes is tightening, pushing up last-minute business-class fares by as much as 12 % month-on-month. Companies that froze long-haul travel budgets during the pandemic may need to adjust cost forecasts for Q4. To support growth, the airport confirmed that its €190 million “Connector Plus” project, which will add six additional contact gates capable of handling wide-body aircraft, remains on schedule for phased opening between March and June 2027. In the interim, mobile boarding bridges will be deployed during evening peaks, and passengers on overflow remote stands will be bussed directly to the non-Schengen arrivals hall to avoid exacerbating EES bottlenecks. At a policy level, the sustained recovery strengthens Belgium’s argument in EU forums that hub airports need transitional flexibility under the new digital-borders regime. With the airport generating an estimated 13,600 direct jobs (UAntwerpen study), maintaining fluid passenger flows is increasingly seen as an economic priority, not merely an operational one.
Source: The Brussels Times / Belga
